The Kliss Challenge
by foraworldundeserving
Summary: "14 prompts, one per day. 24 hours to complete and post it. If you manage every prompt by the end of the two weeks, I will declare you the 'Ultimate Kliss writer' and 'Ultimate Klaine Prompt writer'." - Chasing Aspirations. COMPLETE
1. One

**Welcome to **_**The Kliss Challenge**_**!**

**For anybody who doesn't know, I write **_**Kiss**_**, which is my prompt oneshot story currently sitting on 109 chapters and set to double that. I have a reader on that story (and others) called **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**who decided that they wanted to set me a particular challenge. Basically, I'm going to get a prompt every night for fourteen nights, and I have 24 hours on each prompt to get it written before I have to post it. The prompt will be a few random words or phrases that I'll have to work in and the story will be about Kurt and Blaine's first kiss.**

**So basically, I have my work cut out for me!**

**Just to make it clear, this isn't a story for anybody else to prompt on. I'm only taking the 14 prompts from **_**Chasing Aspirations**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 1: A Collection of some kind, Starlight and a Musical<strong>_

"So, Mr. Warbler. I think you have a bit of explaining to do."

Blaine frowned, glancing across at Kurt. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, suddenly afraid to hear the answer. "I mean, I know it was our first date and there's always room for improvement and all that -"

"Blaine!" Kurt practically _laughed _the word out, and Blaine realized he had never heard Kurt sounding so carefree. "You did _nothing _wrong, and that's what I'm getting at. You told me you were hopeless at romance."

Doing his best to suppress his sigh of relief, Blaine smiled, swinging their linked hands slightly as they walked. "I guess I... got lucky?" he suggested.

"No, getting lucky would be picking the right restaurant... or the right musical... or walking me home because it's more romantic than driving... not _all _of them." Kurt rolled his eyes. "So are you going to tell me your secret or not?"

Blaine smirked playfully, giving Kurt's hand a light squeeze. "A gentleman never reveals his tricks."

"Oh, so you can, right?" Kurt squealed as Blaine elbowed him lightly. "I kid, I kid! You're the perfect dapper gentleman, right down to the waistcoat. Which I thought I would have an aversion to considering how many Mr. Schuester wears all the time, but you pull it off rather well, I must say."

Blaine ducked his head, tugging at the edge of said waistcoat with a smile. "I'm glad you approve. You look stunning as always."

Kurt took the compliment in his stride as always, but Blaine saw the pale pink flush on his ears which he knew meant Kurt was pleased. "Anyway, you haven't distracted me," he continued. "Secrets?"

"Well..." Blaine trailed off before receiving his own elbow to the ribs. "Alright, I'll tell you! You told me yourself that you love Thai food more than any other, I asked Rachel which musical you loved the most and then just planned the date for the night that they were doing _Hairspray_... and I chose to walk you home because it meant we could have more time together."

He could tell by the look on Kurt's face that they were the right answers. "I'm impressed," Kurt murmured softly. "You remember something I said offhandedly _ages _ago, you dare to approach Rachel Berry for help even though you're the competition, and you are romantic at heart."

They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments until Blaine couldn't help but ask the question that had been nagging at him. "It wasn't too much though? I mean, we normally just get a coffee or something, and I know you've always been a bit iffy about accepting my money and -"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted again, his voice soft. "It was _perfect_, alright? I always worried a little about dates like that - I mean, you see it in the movies, a normal couple goes into that kind of setting for their first date and they clam up and don't know how to be themselves around each other - but none of that happened with us. We spent the first twenty minutes talking about our _Vogue _collections after all... which might have led to talking about your blazer collection and how I think you need rehab for that, but it was still amazing."

Blaine let his sigh of relief be heard this time. "I'm glad. I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable around me."

"I don't, and I couldn't." Kurt squeezed his hand again. "It doesn't matter where we are, Blaine. It's always going to be you and me."

Blaine could feel his heart swelling with emotion and knew he didn't want this night to end. And while it was obvious that it was going to have to, Blaine also knew there was a way to prolong that inevitable moment. So he tugged lightly at Kurt's hand, taking him down a different route than usual. "Where are we going?" Kurt asked, looking around. "Isn't Dalton that way?"

"I know a shortcut," Blaine said quietly, his mind going back to that fateful day when they had met. Apparently Kurt remembered too as his grip tightened in Blaine's. "Trust me?"

"Always," Kurt whispered.

Blaine turned to smile at him again as they walked past the last set of streetlights and into the dark. He pulled Kurt a little closer, walking carefully until his eyes adjusted, then stopping and turning to face Kurt fully. They were in the middle of the road, but Blaine already knew that nobody came out here at this time of night. "So, am I allowed to make another attempt at romance?" Kurt nodded silently, barely visible in the soft starlight. "Look up."

Somehow, the perfection of the night had just gotten even more perfect. Blaine's eyes had adjusted just enough to see the look of amazement on Kurt's face as he stared into the brilliant night sky filled with thousands of tiny specks of light. Blaine himself was always in awe of the sight, but right now the more beautiful sight to his eyes was Kurt.

"Blaine... it's gorgeous."

Releasing Kurt's hand, Blaine wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist, tugging him a bit closer. Kurt rested his arms around Blaine's neck with a sigh, curling his fingers into the loose curls at the nape of his neck and causing Blaine to temporarily lose power of speech. "It is," he agreed quietly. "So are you, and I would give you every one of these stars if I could, because you deserve them. You deserve the perfect first date and I just hope I gave you as close as I could to that."

And Blaine couldn't mean the words more. Kurt had come from a school where he was ignored, hated, bullied and rejected. He had never really found his place, and nobody had ever taken the time out to just take care of _Kurt_ unless there was an ulterior motive or if it was out of guilt. And somehow Kurt had just kept on going, kept being his amazing self and never let anybody change that. That was something Blaine had never been able to do and he was so proud of Kurt for it. So Kurt did deserve this, and so much more. And Blaine was going to do his best to give this amazing boy everything he could and show him that even though life wasn't going to treat them right, _he _could. Yes, Blaine was going to screw up at times and already had, but he was going to do what he could to give Kurt what he wanted and needed.

Kurt was still staring up at the stars and Blaine just watched him, the light glowing on his face emphasizing his beauty. "You did. I never imagined I'd get something like this, only in my wildest dreams."

And then Kurt was lowering his head, staring straight into Blaine's eyes. "And this is the part of the dream that would always follow," he whispered before leaning in to press their lips together. And Blaine knew the night was complete.

He tugged Kurt as close as possible, kissing him softly and steadily, throwing every single emotion he had towards Kurt into that one kiss and trying to show Kurt that he was his everything. And the same feelings came to him from Kurt, strengthening that bond that had been forming ever since Blaine had gotten his act together and asked Kurt out, ever since their friendship had started to form, and ever since that fateful day on the staircase.

As they broke apart gently, Blaine opened his eyes to see Kurt staring back at him. No words were needed, or would even be able to be found. Instead, they simply unwrapped their arms, linking hands against instantly, and continued walking.

After all, there would be plenty of time for kissing later; for kissing and touching and discovering each other in a whole new way. But right now it was just them, the empty road and the stars.

* * *

><p><strong>So, did I pass? Let me know!<strong>


	2. Two

**Thank you for all of the love and A++++'s I received on yesterday's chapter! I was pretty surprised by how many people found and reviewed this story (even though I plugged the hell out of it), but I'm glad you're all enjoying it :) And **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**gave me a pass so I'm happy with that :)**

**Yesterday's chapter was apparently 'the one to top.' So I just quadrupled the size ;)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 2: A Struggle, Pizza and Family<strong>_

"Finn Hudson, give me that remote!"

Blaine watched with half-shock, half-amusement as Kurt proceeded to jump on top of his step-brother, attempting to wrestle the TV remote out of his hand. "You _know _I called the TV tonight! Blaine and I are watching _America's Next Top Model_!"

"I don't care if you called it, Blaine would much rather watch the football." Finn was attempting to throw Kurt off him while keeping a death grip on the remote. "Wouldn't you, Blaine?"

Blaine raised his hands. "Oh, no, you're not dragging me into this!"

"Wise choice, kid." Burt entered the room, sitting on the couch next to Blaine and surveying the scene with interest. "They get like this pretty much every time Kurt comes home."

Blaine shook his head as Kurt threatened to bite Finn if he didn't let go. "Who wins normally?"

"Half half. If Finn manages to knock Kurt off, he'll win. But Kurt's a lot stronger than he looks."

At that, Finn gave one last shove and Kurt ended up sprawled on the ground, but with the remote in his hands. "I win!" He stood up, somehow making it look graceful, and brushed the imaginary dirt off his clothes. "Sorry you had to witness that," he murmured to Blaine as he took his seat on the other side of him.

"Not a problem," Blaine replied, speaking 100% truthfully. He had jumped at the chance to come and spend some time with Kurt's family when invited over, not only because his own family was a bit dysfunctional at present, but because Kurt always described his family in the most glowing of terms. And he was beginning to see just how true that was.

Oh, and the fact that he took every opportunity he could get to spend time with Kurt may help as well.

It had only been recently that Blaine had started noticing his feelings for his friend changing. He still wasn't sure what to call them or how to explain them; all he knew was that spending time with Kurt generally made his day and the more he learned about his friend the better. With his general lack of experience in the relationship department, Blaine didn't want to rush anything so he was just taking his time, getting to know Kurt, doing the logical thing, even though every day Blaine found himself falling further into the strange sensations he felt every time he was around Kurt.

But for now, Blaine was just content to hang out with Kurt and his family and watch the way his friend interacted with the people closest to him. Which, so far, was turning out to be pretty amusing.

"Finn, I can't see why you're arguing with _this_." Kurt was pointing to the screen where a long line of model hopefuls were taking to the runway in their swimsuits. "Isn't this every straight teenage guy's fantasy?" Finn looked like he wanted to argue, but considering he couldn't drag his eyes from the screen long enough to form an opinion, Blaine figured that Kurt had won.

After a few minutes of silence which allowed Kurt and Blaine to actually get back into the show, Finn spoke up again. "So why do you two watch it?"

"For the fashion, clearly," Kurt said without looking at the boy. Blaine nodded, wincing at a particularly bad runway walk. If someone had told him six months ago that he would be watching and _enjoying _a model show, he would have deemed them certifiable. It was funny the influence one Kurt Hummel had on him.

Burt stood, clearly having withstood as much of the modeling as he could. "Anyway, I came in here to say that Carole's working late."

"Uh-huh." Kurt made a waving motion with his hand and Blaine bit back a laugh. Clearly everybody around here knew not to get in the way of his shows as Burt simply rolled his eyes and left the living room. When the show went to commercial a few minutes later, Kurt looked up, blinking as if he had just woken from a deep sleep. "What'd he say before?"

Blaine couldn't keep his laughter back this time. "He said Mum's working late," Finn offered. "Can I watch TV yet?"

"Not until this is over... Carole's working late?" Kurt paused the TV, making Finn whinge about how much longer it would take now, and hopped to his feet. "Does that mean I have to cook?"

Finn stared at him. "No, we'll just do what we always do when she's out. Order pizza."

The look on Kurt's face left Blaine wishing he had his camera. "You do _not _put those toxins in your body, do you? Haven't I taught you any better than that?" And with that, Kurt was rushing into the kitchen, ordering his father to, "put that phone down now!"

Blaine stared at Finn for a second, who shrugged. "I think after Burt's heart attack, he's a bit more iffy about food stuff. Do you think I can have the TV?"

The sound of cupboards being opened was probably enough of a sign. "I'd say so," Blaine said before following Kurt through to the kitchen, feeling slightly guilty. He had totally forgotten about Kurt's dad's heart attack last year and whether that still affected him. After all, Kurt was the healthiest person he knew but Blaine had always just figured him to be a health food junkie. It made a lot more sense now, and once again Blaine was finding new things about Kurt that just made him fall further into that strange abyss.

Blaine entered the kitchen just as Kurt was tossing various ingredients on the bench. "What are you making?" he asked, unintentionally making Kurt jump.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in." Kurt shut the fridge door, kneeling down to rifle in the freezer. "Well these two won't be satisfied unless they get their pizza, so I'm making a healthier version. Except it can't be vegetarian because they won't eat it." Kurt pulled out a stack of frozen pizza bases, counting them. "How much will you eat? They'll have one each, I'll have half..."

"I'll take the other half of yours." Kurt shot him a smile that did strange things to his legs before standing up with three pizza bases in hand. "So what do you put on them?" Blaine asked, surveying the ingredients on the bench.

"We have pizza meat, and then just cheese, pineapple, capsicum, mushrooms... all organic stuff of course so at least it's somewhat good for you." Kurt was laying out the bases on a tray with one hand and presetting the oven with the other. Blaine raised an eyebrow. "And then - what?"

Blaine shook his head. "I assume you're somewhat talented in the kitchen?"

Kurt shrugged, chucking the bases into the oven, presumably to defrost. "It's homemade pizza. Everybody's made homemade pizza before." Blaine coughed awkwardly, Kurt turning towards him at the noise. "Wait, you _haven't_? Get over here, you've got a lot to learn! Well... no, you don't," he amended as Blaine crossed the kitchen to stand next to him. "It's homemade pizza."

There was a moment of comfortable silence that Blaine drank in, before Kurt spoke again. "So you're _not _a good cook?"

"I can cook!" Blaine protested immediately. "But my parents don't like pizza so we don't have it at home. I only really get it if I go to Wes or David's place, or one of Jeff's wild parties."

Kurt poked one of the bases experimentally. "Jeff throws wild parties?"

"Generally as celebrations for winning competitions. We didn't have one after Sectionals because apparently it didn't count as a win." Blaine watched as Kurt pulled the bases out of the oven, deeming them useable. "So, you get to be the one to teach me the art of a homemade pizza."

"I'm honored," Kurt said dryly, but there was something to his tone that Blaine couldn't quite pick up. "So we usually start with tomato paste and - you don't have any allergies, do you?"

Blaine nodded, thankful that at least Kurt had remembered and wishing his mind didn't go quite so blank around Kurt these days. "Mushrooms."

Kurt blinked. "Huh. Guess you learn new things every day. Okay, no mushrooms on ours then."

There was something about the way Kurt said _ours _that got to Blaine far more than he knew it should. The fact that he was talking about a pizza was totally irrelevant, he and Kurt had something to share between them and it was more special to Blaine than he had thought it could be.

Another plunge into that abyss, and Blaine was worried about what was going to happen when he hit the bottom.

"Back to the tomato paste." Blaine realized Kurt was holding out a bottle and a spatula. "Squirt it, spread it. Simple."

"What are you going to be doing?"

Kurt crossed to the other bench where the ingredients were lying. "I'm chopping. Hopefully I don't have to teach you the art of chopping up vegetables?"

Blaine stuck his tongue out at Kurt, vaguely registering that he never normally acted so childish around his friend and really not bringing himself to care. Kurt looked surprised for a second before a mischievous look appeared on his face and he winked back, before turning to the vegetables. Blaine stared after him for a second before beginning his own task, a soft smile playing around his face. _If that was just flirting, I want some more of that._

When he was finished with his task, Blaine quietly crossed the kitchen to where Kurt was standing. After making sure his friend wasn't holding a knife - someone getting stabbed would _kinda _kill the mood - he poked his fingers lightly into Kurt's sides.

Kurt squealed, jumping like he had just been electric shocked. Blaine burst into laughter as Kurt turned to him angrily, hands on hips. "What was that for?"

"Just felt like being annoying," Blaine managed between laughter. Kurt scowled before reaching up a hand to pat Blaine's cheek in a condescending manner. Before Blaine could go into some kind of shock at the contact, he felt something wet and sticky dripping down his cheek. "What was _that?_"

"Pineapple juice." Kurt smirked at him, crossing to the sink to wash his hands. As he turned back, Blaine put on his best puppy dog eyes, causing Kurt to stop in his tracks. "That's just cruel," he muttered, turning back to the sink and grabbing a handful of paper towel to wet. Blaine couldn't hide a smile at the fact that his puppy dog eyes had such an affect on Kurt, before Kurt was back, pressing the paper towels against his skin lightly.

Blaine was quite sure he had stopped breathing as Kurt began to wipe his face gently. For some reason, he couldn't drag himself from Kurt's eyes the entire time, feeling heat spread from the areas where Kurt was touching his face. _What's going on here?_

The final leap into the abyss, and Blaine hit the bottom. _I'm in love with Kurt._

And then Kurt was gone, turning away to toss the paper towels in the bin. Blaine slowly let out the breath he had been holding, overwhelmed with a sensation of new feelings but left with no idea of what to do with them. The last thing he wanted to do was blurt something out now, especially when he had no idea if Kurt felt the same at all. So when Kurt turned back to him, Blaine put on his most normal smile and gestured to the ingredients. "Ready to put them on?"

Kurt nodded silently, Blaine hoping it was a good kind of silent. Together they brought the pizza bases over and began to lay out the toppings. It only took a few minutes for Kurt to start talking again, and then things were back to normal... except for the words floating around in Blaine's head. Or perhaps that was normal.

Finn came wandering in from the living room, peering over the counter at their work. "Which one's mine?" he demanded. Kurt pointed to the one on the end and Finn joined them, grabbing toppings to load up on his. "Dude, you never give me enough cheese."

"One, don't call me dude, we've been over this many times. Two, if I gave you 'enough' cheese, you would take all the cheese in the house and we wouldn't have any for our pizza."

Blaine leaned back against the counter with a smile, watching as the two siblings continued to bicker. It was hard to believe that less than a year ago, Finn had been spouting off homophobic slurs and Kurt had been madly crushing on him, but time changed a lot of things and Blaine could certainly stand testament to that. Less than a year ago, Kurt had appeared on the staircase at Dalton and Blaine had thought he was just another boy. How wrong he had been.

Burt appeared, peering over at his pizza. "I suppose it'll do. Bit too much of that healthy stuff for me," he caught Kurt's glare, "but it'll taste good, I know." He turned to Blaine who was still watching as Finn attempted to take more cheese, only to have his hand slapped away by Kurt. "Do you fight with your siblings like this?"

"I don't have any, sir. Well," Blaine hesitated for a second, but knew he had everybody's attention and had to continue, "I did. My sister died when I was nine."

Burt frowned sympathetically and Kurt froze. "I - I didn't know that," he murmured.

Blaine shrugged. "I don't talk about it much. Nobody in my family really does, we just go on as normal." It wasn't that Blaine didn't want to talk about his family, it was more he didn't really want to discuss it in front of Burt and Finn. It was a topic he had wanted to talk to Kurt about, knowing the other boy would understand. So he caught Kurt's eye and tried to pass that message on.

Apparently he succeeded. "Alright, stop picking at the pizza already, Finn!" Kurt swatted his hands away. "I'm putting them in the oven now." Blaine took one of the trays off the bench and they headed over to the oven. By the time they turned, both men were gone and the sound of the football game could be heard from the living room. "You know, if you want to join them, that's fine?"

Blaine turned back to Kurt who was watching him somewhat uncertainly. "No, I'd rather stay here with you," he said, watching Kurt's face light up in a way that he _definitely _wanted to make happen more often. "When I told them I was interested in football, I didn't mean I wanted to watch every game like Finn seems to think."

Kurt shook his head before the smile faded. "So.. your sister? Do you want to..."

"Yeah." Blaine braced his hands against the counter top. "I was nine, she was seventeen. Quite the age gap, I know," he added at Kurt's surprised expression, "I was kind of unexpected. Anyway, she was a great girl but she got in with the wrong crowd in high school. Partying, staying out late, alcohol and drugs... and one night she went to this party and just didn't come home. My parents never told me the details, but I've kind of worked out that it was a drug overdose or something. I'm pretty sure it was accidental, she loved life after all." He swallowed hard, feeling the emotions build up as they always did.

Kurt was staring at him, the deepest empathy reflected in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he murmured before crossing the gap between them and pulling Blaine into his arms. Blaine stiffened slightly before allowing himself to be comforted in the first time he could remember. His family had never talked about their emotions after that day, and Blaine had been walking around for all of these years without feeling like there was anybody else who could understand how he felt. Ever since he had found out about Kurt's mom, he had been trying to find a way to bring it up without being insensitive or making a fool of himself. And now that he had, it was as if a giant weight had been removed from his chest and he could breathe properly for the first time in years.

They stayed that way for a long time and Blaine suspected Kurt was taking just as much comfort from the action as he was. When they finally pulled apart, Blaine attempting to surreptitiously wipe his eyes, neither said a word. Kurt just offered him a smile that said everything, and Blaine returned it. He knew they understood each other.

And then it was back to action, just the way Kurt's family seemed to operate. The game finished, and soon enough Burt and Finn were hovering - at least Burt was trying to make it less obvious, Finn standing directly in front of the oven and staring into it at the pizzas while Kurt attempted to shove him out of the way. Finally, the food was ready and Blaine watched in slight horror as Finn demolished his entire pizza in the time it took Kurt to eat one slice. "I thought Cameron was bad," he whispered to Kurt who giggled, taking another bite of his own pizza.

"Finn's got three gifts. His voice, his ability to demolish people at football, and his ability to demolish an entire pizza before anybody else can even notice it was there."

Finn rolled his eyes, his hand straying across the table towards their pizza. "Better than your three gifts, dude."

Kurt elbowed him, removing his hand forcibly. Blaine took pity on him and tossed him another slice. "What are your three gifts?" he asked Kurt.

Finn swallowed the pizza - Blaine was yet to work out how he ate it so fast - and spoke up before Kurt could. "His voice, something about clothing and knowing whether someone's dyed their hair."

"How did you know that?" Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Sam told you, didn't he? I still stand by my theory - that is _not _natural. And I call the TV, Finn!"

"No way!" Finn was already on his feet, running into the living room as if he was on fire. "I've got the remote!" his voice came back out of the room.

Kurt sighed, standing and pushing his chair in gracefully. "Excuse me," he said to Blaine before running after Finn. "Give me that remote!"

Blaine shook his head as the sounds of fighting came from the room. "Do you ever break them up?" he asked, turning back to Burt who also looked amused.

"Nope. They can sort it out themselves. Except you're the guest so Kurt should get the TV... tell Finn he has to come and clean up, would you?"

Blaine smirked as he stood and entered the living room. _My pleasure._ "Finn!" he called above the noise. "You have to go clean up."

Finn dropped the remote in shock, Kurt diving for it before he could realize. "That's so not fair," he whined. "Kurt _always _gets the TV."

"I cook, you clean." Kurt collapsed onto one of the couches, brushing his hair out of his face. Blaine raised an eyebrow, wondering why he looked so out of breath this time, then deciding it was probably better to _not _think about Kurt being out of breath and just sit down and think dapper thoughts. "So what do you want to watch?"

"What's on?"

Kurt flicked through the channels before stopping on an opening scene to a move that they both recognized immediately. "_Sound of Music!_" Kurt exclaimed happily. "Please tell me you like this?"

"Of course I do! I haven't seen it in forever!" Blaine knew what Kurt was like when it came to movies, so he decided getting his question out of the way while Kurt was still semi-conscious might be a good idea. "Any chance you're named after this Kurt?"

Kurt nodded, already distracted by the movie. "Mom loved it."

Blaine decided against any further interruptions and the two boys settled in to watch the movie. The only distractions came when Finn returned to see what they were watching, only to screw his nose up at it and decide to go play X-Box in his room, and Burt who watched a few minutes before disappearing somewhere else. Kurt didn't seem to be aware of any of these distractions, and Blaine took moments here and there throughout the movie to watch Kurt out the corner of his eye. Now that he knew for sure what his feelings were towards his friend, he knew he had to do something about it, he just didn't know how.

Before they knew it, the movie was ending. Blaine stretched his arms above his head to get the kinks out, turning to Kurt as he did. "Just as good as I remembered it... what?"

Kurt was staring at him, looking slightly glazed over. He snapped out of it a second later, shaking his head. "No, nothing." A second later he grabbed Blaine's arm, twisting it slightly so he could read the watch on his arm. "Oh.. wow."

Blaine took his arm back, checking the time and letting out a low whistle. "I didn't realize it was so late, it'll be midnight by the time I get home at this rate. I'd better get going."

A cough from the door alerted them to Burt's presence. "Kurt, come here a minute?"

Kurt frowned but stood, following his dad out of the room. Blaine pulled out his phone, surprised that his parents hadn't called to find out where he was. He was midway through composing a text saying he was on his way when Kurt returned. "Dad doesn't like the idea of you driving this late so he said you could stay on the couch if your parents are okay with it. And... if you are, of course."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Blaine began, before Kurt cut him off.

"Blaine, I'd much rather you didn't drive. It would make me feel a lot better if you stayed."

Burt reappeared at that moment with a blanket and pillow. "I'm with Kurt on this one, Blaine. I've seen a lot of cars come in wrecked because people were driving too late at night. As long as you're sleeping down here on the couch, there's no problem."

Blaine nodded. "Okay. Thank you, sir." Kurt took the blankets from his father and gestured for Blaine to stand as Burt left. While Kurt was laying out the blankets, Blaine finished texting his parents to let them know of the change of plans, but he couldn't help but wonder something. "Kurt, why did he pull you out of the room to tell you that I could stay?"

Kurt suddenly flushed. "Oh.. he, uh.. he wanted to check that we weren't going to get up to anything inappropriate. I think he was under the impression that we were dating."

At that last word, Kurt dropped the eye contact between them, smoothing out the blanket for the fifth time. And there was something so _open _in his expression at that point that Blaine just couldn't let the moment pass. Not now, not after everything he'd worked out. So he took Kurt's hand, tugging him lightly onto the couch and sitting next to him. "And would it be an issue to him if we were?"

"No, not at all," Kurt said immediately. "He quite likes you."

Blaine smiled, suddenly feeling an inexplicable burst of courage. "Is there any chance that his son might 'quite like' me too?"

Kurt turned an alarming shade of white. "Is it that obvious?"

_Woah. _"Wait, really?" Kurt nodded. "I - I honestly didn't expect that... that you'd feel the same."

"You - like me?"

Now it was Blaine's turn to nod, feeling the pressure of Kurt's fingers tighten around his hand. "For quite some time now. I just couldn't really put the words to it until tonight." Kurt still looked like he was going into shock, and Blaine wasn't sure whether Kurt quite believed the current events were taking place. He wasn't sure he did either.

So to make sure for both of their sakes that it was real, Blaine leant in and kissed him.

It was _electric_. That was all Blaine could think as Kurt's lips pressed back against his, sending all kinds of feelings pulsing through him. _This _was what they had both been waiting for - a first kiss that counted and mattered and felt so _right_. And they had found it with each other.

Kurt suddenly broke away, laughing softly. "Sorry," he said quietly in response to Blaine's confused look. "I just love how a conversation about my dad telling us not to be inappropriate turned into us kissing."

Blaine couldn't help but smile back, but it was more at the last word that had just left Kurt's mouth. Because he, Blaine Anderson, had just been _kissing _Kurt Hummel. And that was something he wanted to do a lot more. But right now he knew that breaking Burt's rules was probably a bad idea, so he turned his attention back to the television. "Next movie?"

Kurt understood. "I have a bootlegged copy of _Wicked_?"

"Please."

Kurt stood, making his way over to the DVD player and putting in a disc before returning to the couch. As he sat down, Blaine casually draped an arm around his shoulders and Kurt leaned into his side. It was so natural that Blaine couldn't work out why they hadn't been doing this sooner.

And as the movie played on, Blaine felt his consciousness slipping away, his only awareness being Kurt who was already fast asleep next to him.

* * *

><p><em>This isn't my bed.<em>

These were Blaine's first thoughts upon awakening the next morning. Opening his eyes, he stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to remember where he was and why there was someone else in the bed with him.

_There's someone else in the bed?_

And then Blaine remembered the previous night and the smile curved across his face again. Kissing Kurt, watching the movie, falling asleep on the couch... together.

_Okay... we might be in a bit of trouble here._

Before Blaine could begin to work out how to get himself out of the situation before Burt came downstairs and saw them, he took a moment to stare at Kurt. Somehow they had ended up lying down and Kurt's head was resting against his shoulder, fast asleep and looking so beautifully peaceful that Blaine couldn't bear to wake him. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, Kurt shifting a little but not waking.

Then he looked over to the door to see Burt standing there, staring at them.

_Scratch that. Definitely in trouble._

There was a long moment when the two just looked at each other. Burt's face was unreadable and Blaine was already ready to have to wake Kurt and explain that he wasn't going to be allowed to see him again. Just as he began to try and extricate himself from Kurt's grasp, Burt shook his head. Blaine frowned, uncomprehending. _He doesn't want me to get up?_

After another moment of staring at each other, Burt nodded, and Blaine felt an inexplicable sense of approval. And that was when he realized that Kurt had probably told his father about liking Blaine, and even though they were in a potentially compromising situation, Burt had correctly figured that Blaine had finally gotten his act together. And Burt was okay with it, something Blaine couldn't quite believe.

Burt turned and walked out of the room. A moment later, Blaine heard the front door open and close quietly and figured he was going to work. Blaine let out a quiet sigh of relief and couldn't quite shake the feeling that he had dodged a bullet.

But there was far more than that. After another glance at Kurt who was still sleeping peacefully, he realized he had gained acceptance. Acceptance from this amazing boy who he could now call his boyfriend. Acceptance from his father who deemed him fit to date his son. And acceptance into a new family, one that would never replace his own but would love him just as much.

Blaine pulled Kurt a little tighter into his arms and went back to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>I'll freely admit that this was <em>not <em>where this story was going to go. My stories just write themselves these days and I have to go with it. **

**Pass or fail? (By the way, if you think I haven't used one of the prompted phrases sufficiently in any story, you can call me out on it and if _Chasing Aspirations _agrees with you, I'll have to add it to the prompts for the next day. Keep that in mind!)**


	3. Three

**So I started writing this chapter in Blaine's POV then realized the last two were written that way and it was time for a bit of a change. Hi Kurt!**

**And I don't think this will top the last two chapters... but oh well. I enjoyed it anyway :)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 3: A Park, Dancing and A Book<strong>_

As Quinn, Mercedes and Tina burst into laughter at his latest tale of Warbler shenanigans, Kurt couldn't stop himself from glancing across the park to where his boyfriend was sitting, propped up against a tree. Blaine shot him a glance from across the rim of his hideous pink sunglasses, winking at him before flipping a page in his book and diverting his attention back to it as Kurt sighed quietly. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his girls or that he struggled being separated from Blaine, but Kurt felt like his boyfriend was missing out on all the fun, even though it was his choice to be reading a book right now.

"You know you can go over there and talk to him, right?"

Kurt shook his head absently, turning back to Mercedes. "I just don't get why he'd rather read _The Princess Bride_ than hang out with all of his friends." He gestured to the large group of Warblers and New Directions boys who were currently involved in a game of football. _Oh, and Lauren_, he amended, seeing the girl in the middle of the pack, barking out orders. Rachel was off to the side, not-so-subtly checking out Finn, while Santana and Brittany sunbathed a few yards away.

It wasn't the combination that Kurt had ever expected to see, especially with Wes and Rachel co-existing without accusing each other of spying or attempting to 'psych out the competition.' Thankfully summer seemed to have mellowed them out a bit, but Kurt knew it would only take the first day of the school year before they were at each other's throats again. Until then, Kurt was going to sit back and enjoy his two worlds colliding... except for the part where Blaine had distanced himself from everybody the moment they had gotten there, pulling out his book and explaining to Kurt that he just wanted to 'finish this chapter.' That was twenty minutes and probably about four chapters ago.

"Face it," Quinn said quietly, smiling as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "You've got yourself a nerd."

Kurt shook his head dramatically, clucking his tongue. "And I had such high hopes for that boy." He looked over at Blaine again who was deeply immersed in the book. "Oh well, I still love him."

As the girls made various 'aww'ing sounds, there was a loud groan from the Warbler boys as Finn scored yet another touchdown. David broke away from the group, jogging over to Kurt. "Okay, we're getting slaughtered and Blaine's our best player. You need to do something to get him to help us out here!"

"David, if I can't get my boyfriend to come and spend time with _me_, why would I get him to spend time with you guys instead?"

David smirked. "Because as soon as we're done with our game, Blaine will be all yours as usual. And then he'll be all _hot _and _sweaty _and..."

"Your point is made." Kurt stood, trying not to let his cheeks flush at the mental images handed to him and attempting to block out the suggestive murmurs coming from the New Directions girls behind him. "How do you plan to do this?"

"You hate his sunglasses, right?" Kurt nodded feverishly. "And he knows it?" Another nod. "Right, you get over there, seduce him, then steal them. He'll drop the book, I'll steal it, problem solved!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, grudgingly agreeing to the plan. "Apart from the part where he'll hate me, sure."

"Blaine could never hate you. He's crazy about you." David gave Kurt a push in his direction and Kurt obediently walked towards his boyfriend, unable to keep the smile off his face at David's words. It was definitely still unreal to Kurt that he _had _a boyfriend, let alone having one that was crazy about him. And to have a boyfriend who he could hold hands with and touch and _kiss _if he wanted to... sometimes it got a little too much.

Not that he had done all of that stuff anyway. Sure, they held hands a lot, but so far nothing had happened on the kissing front. Kurt thought Blaine was going to kiss him when he had asked him out, but they had ended up talking about it a few days later instead. Blaine admitted that he had thought about it, but decided that it was probably better for Kurt to make the first move. Kurt wasn't sure he agreed, but he had no choice. Blaine wasn't going to act on things until Kurt gave the okay.

So now it was down to Kurt to initiate a kiss after only ever having _been _kissed before, and he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it yet. Blaine had been nothing but patient, but Kurt knew he wanted it. And Kurt wanted it too, he just didn't know _how._

Before he realized it, Kurt was standing in front of Blaine who glanced up at him, smiling. "Hey, just this chapter, I promise."

"Uh-huh. You said that about..." Kurt knelt down, flipping back until he could see the number Blaine was up to, "five chapters ago."

Blaine at least had the decency to look bashful. "Sorry, it's just my favourite summer book and I started reading it this morning while I was waiting for you to pick me up." Kurt nodded, slowly moving his hand towards the arm of Blaine's sunglasses, his boyfriend oblivious. "And I couldn't just put it down, even though I know how it ends, so - HEY!"

Kurt jumped to his feet, 'accidentally' knocking the book out of Blaine's hands as he took off with the sunglasses he had just whipped off his boyfriend's face. "Catch me if you can," he hollered over his shoulder, hearing the sound of Blaine chasing after him. The other boys had stopped to watch them and Kurt couldn't help but laugh, even when Blaine tackled him and sent them both skidding to the ground. Gently, of course - Blaine was somehow always a gentleman. "Oh, I'm sorry," Kurt murmured quietly, pinned under Blaine's arms. "Did you need something?"

Blaine growled low in his throat, the noise sending a shiver up Kurt's spine. "I'll have you know that these are my _favourite _sunglasses," he said, plucking the aforementioned object out of Kurt's hand. "You may hate them on principle, but you _know _I rock that look."

And to his annoyance, Kurt couldn't even deny it. Blaine smirked, climbing to his feet and offering Kurt a hand up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a book -" he froze at the smirk on Kurt's face before slowly turning back around.

"Looking for this?" David called across the park, brandishing Blaine's book at them. He then passed it to Quinn who was standing next to him, who tucked it into her handbag. "It's _summer_, Blaine! So stop being a nerd and get over here, we need your help!"

Blaine shot a glare at Kurt who raised his hands innocently. "Just go and have some fun."

"My book was plenty of fun, thank you very much," Blaine muttered back, but his glare had softened. "I'll come and hang out with you and the girls later, alright?" Kurt nodded and Blaine gave his hand a quick squeeze before jogging across towards the other boys, pulling on his sunglasses as he did.

Kurt joined the girls who had continued gossiping, this time about the New Directions boys. As Tina began to talk about her relationship issues with Mike - of course they were still going strong but something about his mother had always irked Tina - Kurt found himself drifting in and out of the conversation, most of his time occupied by watching Blaine. The girls were perfectly aware of this and thankfully kept the teasing to a minimum, but Kurt didn't really mind either way because yes, he was staring unashamedly at his boyfriend.

It didn't help when Blaine and the rest of the boys decided it was too hot for shirts - thankfully Lauren didn't decide to be 'one of the boys' at that point no matter how much Puck wanted her to. Wolf whistles came from Tina, Mercedes and Quinn, while Kurt felt himself blushing. Blaine caught his eye, winking. _Of course he knows exactly what he's doing to me._

Finally the game was over, New Directions narrowly winning, and the entire group crowded together in the shade of one of the largest trees. Blaine collapsed next to Kurt, shaking his damp hair in Kurt's direction with a smirk. "That's gross!" Kurt squealed, slapping him lightly, but didn't protest when Blaine wrapped an arm around him, tugging him a little closer.

As the two groups got to know each other, everybody began to talk about how their summers had been so far. While Rachel bored everybody with her numerous auditions she had tried for, Kurt looked around the group, smiling softly. It was a pretty good summer for romance, he decided, glancing at all of the couples. Mike and Tina were a given, and Rachel and Finn had finally gotten their acts into gear. Nick and Jeff, after being assured by Kurt that they would receive no judgement, were holding hands, and even Sam and Mercedes seemed to be comfortable showing affection with Mercedes resting her head on Sam's shoulder. Puck continued to try and get closer to Lauren, and Kurt noticed David and Quinn's proximity with a raised eyebrow. _When did that one happen?_

And of course, himself and Blaine. Physical gestures like this one had always been common for them, even before they were dating. Blaine was a very touchy person who loved to hug and hold hands, and Kurt was willing to let him do so. All of those gestures meant a lot to Blaine, and the same to Kurt when they were given to him. _So why haven't we kissed yet?_

The more Kurt thought about it, the more he realized there really wasn't an answer. The only thing that came close to a proper excuse was that Kurt was afraid of messing it up. That said, Blaine's only other experience with being kissed was when he was drunk, and Kurt knew better than to think that Blaine would ever do anything like break up with him because he didn't know how to kiss. And it was something they could learn together.

That thought alone sealed the deal. _Some time today, I'm going to kiss Blaine. _

Tuning back into the conversation, Kurt realized that it had, unsurprisingly, moved to music. He knew bringing two Glee clubs together would undoubtedly bring performances and plenty of musical debates. What _was _surprising, however, was that Rachel was freely admitting song choices she would like to see New Directions attempt in the coming year. Kurt admired her openness and trust in the other boys after what she had been through with Jesse, but had to draw the line when she mentioned _Cats_. Somehow he couldn't imagine the club swaying along while Rachel belted out _Memory_.

"So, out of simple curiosity, who is the most surprising 'undiscovered talent' in your group?" Confused faces met Wes's sudden question. "I know Rachel and Finn get most of your solos, and we've heard Mercedes belt it out too, but who would really 'wow' us if they got up there and gave us a solo?"

The group glanced around for a few moments, trying to work it out. Kurt caught Rachel's eye and jerked his head in the direction he was thinking of, receiving a nod in return. "Santana," they said in unison, the rest of the group agreeing straight away.

Santana flicked her hair back in her usual manner, but Kurt could see the flicker of surprise in the Latina's eyes. "Knew you'd all wise up to my talent eventually. What about you Warbler boys? Obviously Blaine rocks the show every time but I know there's got to be someone else in there with a set of pipes."

Blaine smirked, glancing across at his teammates who were all looking at him expectantly. "You may not believe me, but it's absolutely Wes. Hands down." Even a few of the Warblers looked surprised at this proclamation, Kurt joining them. He had never heard Wes sing solo after all. "This boy puts on some killer performances in the shower - I should know, I room with him and have to hear it every night when I'm trying to study."

Wes threw a chunk of bread at him, the effect ruined by Blaine catching it in his mouth. "So," Finn said slowly, looking between the two, "if Wes and Santana did a duet..."

"It would sound amazing? I think so." Kurt elbowed Santana. "Go on, dazzle us all already." Santana looked at him skeptically, shooting a glance at Wes, before Kurt brought out the hook. "If you don't, I can guarantee that Rachel's going to start singing any minute -"

"Alright, alright. Come on prep boy." Santana stood, grabbing Wes's arm and whispering something in his ear. Cameron wolf whistled, only to be hit across the head by David as the two conferred. Finally Santana moved away, clapping her hands together. "Right, been dying to sing this one for awhile now. Puck, get your guitar."

Meanwhile, Wes was gesturing for a few of the Warbler boys to help him, clearly giving instructions. A moment later, the harmony began with Puck strumming along and both groups exchanged looks of surprise - nobody had expected _this_.

"What?" Santana raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a cold hearted bitch all the time, you know?"

And with that lovely announcement out of the way, she began to sing.

"_You've been on my mind, I grow fonder every day,_

_Lose myself in time just thinking of your face,_

_God only knows why it's taken me so long to let my doubts go,_

_You're the only one that I want."_

"I love this song," Rachel exclaimed, ignoring the glare she was getting from Santana. "Finn, dance with me?"

It was credit to how much their relationship had grown that Finn didn't argue, simply standing and offering her a hand up. And while the idea was truly Rachel-esque, it wasn't a bad one. Mike and Tina were already following quickly behind and Kurt could see Sam turning to Mercedes, clearly ready to ask her if she wanted to dance too.

"_I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before,_

_Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all,"_

Did Santana just glance over at Brittany as she sang that? Kurt raised an eyebrow, not sure whether he had been imagining things or not, but it wouldn't be a complete surprise to him if she _had _been. Kurt had always suspected that Santana played for his team but her fears got in the way of coming out. Perhaps this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

"_You'll never know if you never try,_

_To forget your past and simply be mine,"_

"Excuse me," came a voice directly in Kurt's ear. "May I have this dance?"

Kurt turned, shaking his head at his absolute romantic sap of a boyfriend. "Yes," he murmured quietly, brought straight back to memories of Prom - only the good ones of course. Blaine stood, holding out his hand and Kurt grasped it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. To Kurt's delight, David had clearly asked Quinn to dance as they were already wrapped in each other's arms, Quinn wearing a smile Kurt hadn't seen in a long time. Nick and Jeff, not to be outdone, joined them as well.

"_I dare you to let me be your, your one and only,_

_Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms,_

_So come on and give me a chance,_

_To prove I am the one who can walk that mile,_

_Until the end starts."_

Wes took the vocals, allowing a laughing Santana to be spun around by Thad before stepping away towards Brittany, holding out a hand. Kurt looked away, giving the girls a moment of privacy and allowing himself to put all of his attention on the boy in his arms. Blaine's hands were resting lightly against the back of his neck and his boyfriend was watching him, smiling softly. Kurt smiled back and Blaine leant his head into Kurt's shoulder as a bubble of happiness build up in Kurt's chest. _I never knew love felt this way._

"_If I've been on your mind, you hang on every word I say,_

_Lose yourself in time at the mention of my name,_

_Will I ever know how it feels to hold you close,"_

Kurt unconsciously pulled Blaine closer to him at that line, still spinning in slow circles, and knew every other couple was probably doing the same thing. As close to each other as they were right now, Kurt knew he could never hold Blaine tight enough and never get tired of the feeling of his boyfriend being in his arms.

"_And have you tell me whichever road I choose you'll go,"_

As the two broke into the chorus, Kurt couldn't keep his thoughts off the lyrics. He could hear Blaine humming along, and it was almost as if Blaine was wanting to be the one singing the words to him.

"_I know it ain't easy giving up your heart,_

_I know it ain't easy giving up your heart."_

At those words, Blaine slid one hand down so it was resting over Kurt's chest, his fingers lightly splayed, and Kurt knew exactly what the gesture meant. "I love you," he whispered into his boyfriend's ear, hearing the words returned a moment later.

"_Nobody's perfect,_

_Trust me, I've learned it,_

_Nobody's perfect, _

_Trust me, I've learned it."_

But he wanted to give more. He wanted to give up his heart, his fears, his everything... for _his _boyfriend, his Blaine. And he knew neither of them was perfect or had 'experience' at relationships, but Blaine was perfect for _him_. That was all that mattered and all that ever could.

"_I dare you to let me be your, your one and only,_

_Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms,"_

And before Kurt could think about it any further, his and Blaine's lips were meeting. They had completely stopped spinning at this point, and all Kurt was aware of was Blaine kissing him back softly, and the words in the background.

"_So come on and give me a chance,_

_To prove I am the one who can walk that mile,_

_Until the end starts."_

As the others broke into applause, Kurt and Blaine broke the kiss slowly. No, it probably wasn't the most perfect kiss in the world - and Santana might be pulling Kurt away to drill him on technique later - but it was perfectly Kurt and Blaine. There was plenty of time for perfection and practice later, after all.

For right now, they had a gorgeous summer day, their closest friends, a park to themselves and a world full of opportunities. And even though summer would end, people would drift away and time would go on, nothing could take what they had just experienced from each other. They had each other's hearts, and neither was letting go any time soon.

* * *

><p><strong>The song is <strong>_**One and Only **_**by Adele. I'll disclaim right now saying I'm not musically inclined and I work off good lyrics, not whether their voices fit the song because I wouldn't have a clue. I've just always loved the idea of Wes and Santana dueting together.**

**Pass or fail?**


	4. Four

**I absolutely have to point out that I'm currently working on a puppy related prompt for **_**Kiss**_**, and I was listening to **_**River Deep Mountain High **_**with the line "When you were a young boy, did you have a puppy that always followed you around?"**

**I think I need a puppy...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 4: A Puppy, Ice Cream and An Oak Tree<strong>_

"Blaine..."

Silence. Kurt huffed out a breath, glaring at his boyfriend. "Are you seriously going to lie there and ignore me?"

No answer. Blaine's eyes were fixed firmly on the roof, making it clear that yes, he was ignoring Kurt, completely, and Kurt felt his blood boil. He had arrived back at Dalton after going home for the weekend and come to see what Blaine was doing, only to be blown off by a lame excuse of homework that Blaine wasn't even working on at the time. Further probing had resulted in Blaine blowing up at him, telling him he 'wouldn't understand' and proceeding to shut Kurt out completely, a move that stunned him because Blaine had _never _shut Kurt out before. So right now he was acting in typical Kurt Hummel style and masking his hurt with anger.

"You are being so unreasonable!" Kurt threw up his hands and stormed out of the dorm room, heading back down to his own and collapsing onto his bed, unconsciously mimicking Blaine's position four doors down. David looked up, opening his mouth to speak before being silenced by a glare. "Don't even. Not unless you can tell me why my boyfriend is being an insensitive _tool _right now."

"Well," David said slowly, putting down his textbook, "I think I can."

Kurt sat up so fast that his head span. "Why? Did I do something - oh _no_, does he want to break up with me?"

David actually had the audacity to laugh at that, though he quickly stopped when he saw the look on Kurt's face. "Sorry, but really? You and Blaine are like that perfect little 'Victorian courtship' couple who sit around and watch musicals and hold hands and don't so much as _kiss _in public - and I'm starting to suspect you haven't done it in private either." Kurt flushed, but refused to answer. Just because it was true didn't mean David needed to know. "Of course he doesn't want to break up with you."

"Well clearly we're not that 'perfect' couple anymore, because Blaine's ignoring me right now and I don't know why. It's not like I did anything wrong, unless I did and he won't tell me which is _ridiculous _because we promised we'd always talk about things instead of having petty fights." _And if he didn't want to break up with me before, I can guarantee he does now. _

Kurt sighed, feeling the tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away hastily, but of course David had noticed, crossing the room to sit next to him. "Okay, Blaine might hate me for telling you, but it's better than watching your relationship fall apart over something like this."

"Like what?"

In response, David pulled out his phone, scrolling through. "Here," he said, handing it over. Kurt glanced down at the screen and felt the corners of his mouth tug into an involuntary smile. There was a photo of Blaine on the screen with a puppy in his arms, something that Kurt had never even imagined but now that he had he definitely wanted to see more of. "That's Melody, Blaine's puppy."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "That's very cute, but what does that have to do with Blaine ignoring me."

"Last year, the Warblers were getting into community service that didn't involve singing. Shocking, I know," he said in response to Kurt's appropriately 'shocked' look. "Anyway, we ended up at this animal shelter and Melody had been dumped there. When we showed up, she was in really bad shape. Her previous owners had beaten her because she wouldn't work for them. Blaine... related."

Kurt bit his lip, knowing perfectly well why Blaine related to the puppy. After all, he had been beaten up for not being what society wanted him to be. "So he adopted her?"

"They warned him that she probably wouldn't last long, but he was determined. He stopped boarding for a month so he could drive home and take care of her, he came back when his sister got home from England and could take care of her." David sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "They thought she was going to be alright, but a few weeks ago there were some complications."

"Was that when Blaine had to go home suddenly for a family emergency?"

David nodded. "They spent a lot of time at the vet and she got a few operations, but the vet told them it would only extend her life for a little bit longer, and she was in a lot of pain. So his family decided to put her down yesterday."

Kurt sucked in a breath, feeling his heart clench. "Oh..."

"He went out there for the funeral and hasn't talked to anybody since he got back. Wes actually slept in here last night, on the floor," he added hastily, "because Blaine didn't want anybody in there. He got his hands on all of the ice cream he could, locked the door and probably cried himself to sleep."

"I'm the worst boyfriend ever," Kurt whispered.

David placed a hand on his immediately. "No you're not. You had no reason to know what was going on. I presume you're going to go and fix things though?"

"Of course," Kurt said, already getting to his feet. "Ice cream helps?" David nodded and he grabbed his car keys. "Any flavor in particular?"

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Kurt was back at Dalton with three tubs of ice cream - David had sworn that the combination of triple chocolate, honeycomb and cookie dough would definitely cheer Blaine up, and this <em>was<em> from experience - two spoons, and a nagging feeling of guilt. _I should have known that Blaine wouldn't snap like that without any reason. What if it had been worse?_

Kurt pushed the thoughts away, pausing outside Blaine's dorm room to juggle containers before knocking.

"Go away," came the reply, immediate and sullen.

"Not a chance," Kurt replied. "I'll just sit out here all night and break curfew... and eat all of this ice cream by myself."

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of the door unlocking. Blaine's head poked around and Kurt's heart wrenched when he took in his boyfriend's state. "Oh, honey," he murmured, pushing the door open fully and entering the room. Dropping the ice cream tubs on Blaine's desk, he immediately turned and pulled the boy into a hug. Blaine stiffened before allowing himself to relax into the touch. After a few moments, Kurt pulled away and held Blaine at arms length, scrutinizing him. "Why didn't you just _tell _me?"

"Because it's stupid and I s-shouldn't be so upset over it," Blaine muttered, swiping at his eyes furiously. "And now I get to murder David for letting you know."

"No you don't." Kurt maneuvered Blaine back over to the bed, grabbing the first ice cream tub and spoons before joining him. "You get to thank him later because if he hadn't told me, you wouldn't have had ice cream... or me. Hopefully I can help somewhat as much as the ice cream does."

Usually a comment like that would at least crack a smile, but Blaine just sighed. Kurt pulled the top off the tub and handed over a spoon. "Gorge, then talk, alright?" Together they made quick work of the first tub. Well, Kurt ate about a quarter while Blaine consumed the rest, clearly without regard for his body. When Kurt brought back the second one, he slid an arm around Blaine and pulled him into his lap. "Now, I want you to tell me."

"Didn't David already...?"

Kurt nodded, resting his chin on Blaine's shoulder and popping open the second container. "I want to hear it from you."

It took the entire second tub, but Blaine slowly told Kurt the same story as before, except with far more emotion. Kurt listened silently, wrapping his arms around him a bit tighter every time Blaine's voice choked up. But finally, they had reached the end, the funeral.

"We buried her out the back of our place, underneath the old oak tree." Kurt nodded, knowing the one Blaine spoke of. He had admired it the first time he visited Blaine's house and Blaine had regaled him with stories of climbing it as a kid, as well as falling out and breaking his arm. It was an important part of Blaine's childhood. "And it felt like there was a ... a piece of me being buried there too. And I _know_, I know s-she was just a dog..." Blaine trailed off, clearly unable to say anything else.

"Honey, you're allowed to be upset." Kurt gently tugged the empty ice cream container out of Blaine's hands and tossed it on the floor with the second one. "She wasn't 'just a dog' to you. I know what she symbolized."

Blaine's lip trembled, then he was twisting in Kurt's arms, burying his head into Kurt's shoulder. Kurt tightened his hold, rubbing Blaine's back softly and whispering nonsensical comfort into his ear. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to make it better; Blaine had to cry it out and Kurt was going to let him and be with him for as long as it took.

He also knew this was a pivotal step for their relationship, and friendship too. Blaine had seen Kurt in tears before, many times. And Kurt had seen Blaine vulnerable, especially when he had asked him out. But this was something Kurt knew Blaine had been hesitant to show to anybody because it signified loss of control. So when Blaine pulled away, sniffling loudly - something that on anybody else, Kurt would find disgusting - Kurt leant in and kissed the tears from his cheeks gently. "Thank you for telling me," he whispered between kisses. "That was very brave of you."

He laced his fingers with Blaine's again, rubbing his thumbs over the back of his hands. Blaine let out a sigh, but it wasn't as pain-filled as the last one. "Thank you for being here and not leaving me when I was being an idiot. I'm so sorry, Kurt."

"Blaine, I'm not walking away over something like this - yes, I got mad and I shouldn't have and I'm sorry too, but I understand now and that's all that matters. I love you, remember?"

Blaine sniffed again quietly. "I love you too. I just wish it would stop hurting."

Kurt paused, deliberating for a second and remembering something Tina had told him about when Mike was upset. "I can't make it stop hurting, but I might be able to make you feel better... if you trust me to."

Blaine was already nodding. "You've already helped. Anything else you do can only be beneficial, I'm sure."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Without giving Blaine time to reply, Kurt slowly leant in and pressed their lips together, kissing him softly. It wasn't a kiss of want or need, of many months in the waiting, of lust. It was a kiss of comfort, of love, of understanding, and of healing.

When they broke apart from the first time, Kurt saw some of the pain had receded from his boyfriend's eyes, to be replaced by overwhelming love. And then they were kissing again, and Kurt knew Blaine was drawing more comfort from this than he could from any words.

Kurt finally managed to pull apart for long enough to murmur, "The ice cream's melting."

"Let it," Blaine whispered back. "You're all the comfort food I need."

And Kurt would have made a comment about cheesiness, but Blaine's lips were back against his and he couldn't bring himself to argue. If this was what Blaine needed to make himself feel better, then Kurt was 100% happy to oblige.

* * *

><p><strong>In case anybody was curious, the reason I always slip in the name 'honey' when someone's comforting someone else is because I discovered it's the one I use. I never called my friends by any 'pet names' or anything like that, but when my friend suffered with epilepsy and was freaking out and crying because she didn't want to go to the hospital, I found myself calling her that the entire time and it seemed to help. And Kurt seems like the type to me where it would be natural for him to say something like that too.<strong>

**Pass? (yes, I will be asking this at the end of every chapter)**


	5. Five

**I went from not thinking that Darren was nominated for anything at TCA to suddenly learning that he won! So congratulations to him for winning Choice TV Breakout Star, to Cory Monteith for Choice TV Actor and the entire Glee cast for Choice TV in Comedy :) However the fact that **_**Justin Bieber **_**beat out Jane Lynch for Villain… that disturbs me a lot. And Chris was down for two awards that it appears he didn't get, which is disappointing. But still, a brilliant job overall by the Glee cast who fully deserve their awards! :)**

**Just a couple of notes to address. Bear with me :)**

**Honeycomb ice cream is ice cream that has chunks of honeycomb in it… kind of like Crunchie ice cream. If you haven't had it, you're missing out. And I'm eating it right now =D**

**In response to a question, I'm not required to mention the items listed in order, I just have to either feature or mention them in some form. Again, feel free to call me out if you think I haven't completed the prompt properly.**

**And to the person who called me out on my Australian-ism, I'm not offended but I'll just put it here for everybody to take note of. I am from New Zealand and currently live in Australia, as many of you have picked up on. Over here, we say quite a few things differently and, as a result, there may be confusion over what I'm saying. I've changed the most common things, namely terms of measurement, but I'm afraid I don't know the American term for everything and a lot of the time, I don't even know it's something different over there. If I've said something and you don't know what it is, just ask and I'll tell you :) **

**This was take two of this story, and it's not good to do a second take on a story where you've had a lot less time than your allotted 24 hours because of internet issues :/ so hopefully it worked... and that said, I still finished it with 8 hours to spare ;)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 5: A Fairy Tale, A Guitar and A Diary<strong>_

"_Once upon a time, in a land far far away…"_

"Actually, it's only a couple of states over. Just to be technical."

"Blaine, do you mind? I'm trying to tell a story here."

Blaine smirked, wrapping an arm around his husband. "Sorry sweetheart, I couldn't resist. It's not like she's going to remember it anyway."

Kurt glanced down at the child in his arms, already half asleep. "I'm practicing for when she's older, okay? All kids want to know stories about how their parents got together and I'm trying to make it like a fairytale."

"What's to tell? I wasn't exactly romantic about it, I just asked you out."

Kurt sighed. "Yes, and I also want to tell her about our first kiss. Is that acceptable?"

Blaine didn't reply and Kurt could see his eyes had glazed over slightly. Making the most of the opportunity, he continued.

"_There were two boys named Kurt and Blaine. Kurt was very fashionable and loved shopping and Blaine… was very dapper."_

"Hey!"

Kurt elbowed Blaine, even as he snuggled in closer to his side. "Honey, your clothing was not a redeemable memory."

Blaine pouted. "But I could sing. And still can!"

"I was getting to that, Mr. Impatient."

"_Kurt and Blaine both loved singing. Blaine was the lead singer at his school and Kurt was constantly overshadowed at his by a certain Miss Rachel Berry, now Mrs. Rachel Hudson. You'll know her as Aunt Rachel when you're older. But apart from their love of music, the two shared something else in common, a terrible secret."_

Blaine cleared his throat and Kurt sighed. "Yes, Blaine, I'm perfectly aware that we were both out and proud in high school. _Fairytale_, remember?"

"_Where Kurt and Blaine grew up, they were told that it wasn't right to like other boys, but they both did. It wasn't something they could control or change, it just happened. And because of this, a lot of evil people tried to hurt them and tell them that being themselves wasn't - _Blaine, where are you going?"

Blaine had stood and was disappearing out the door of their daughter's room. Kurt was about to follow, wondering whether he had said something to trigger a particularly bad memory, when Blaine returned a few moments later with what looked suspiciously like… "Honey, I never knew you kept a _diary_."

"It's not… okay, yes it is. But it's not for me. It's something I started in high school for any kids I had in the future, just things about me as a teenager to help them grow up and understand us." Blaine flipped past a few pages and Kurt saw that the book was at least half filled. "I was going to show it to you but I honestly forgot about it until now."

Kurt leaned over, catching a few memorable words as Blaine flipped through. "So why bring it up now?"

Blaine grabbed a pen and began to scribble on the next fresh page. "Because I want to write your story down." Kurt rolled his eyes fondly, curling back into Blaine's side and readjusting the bundle of blankets containing their daughter who had succumbed to sleep long ago. "Okay, continue."

"Where was I… oh right. Evil people."

"_So they were told that who they were wasn't right, and sometimes people were even nastier than that and tried to hurt them. So Blaine moved to a school called Dalton and a few years later, Kurt had to move there too. And that's when Blaine and Kurt met."_

"When Harry Met Sally?" Blaine was smirking as he wrote down the line in the notebook.

Kurt glared. "Do I have to duct tape you?"

"You can keep my mouth occupied in other wa-"

"No."

"_At first, Kurt had trouble settling in because this school was very different from his last school. But Blaine helped him get used to things and they quickly became best friends… _Blaine, I know you were my best friend, was I yours?"

Blaine looked legitimately shocked. "Of course you were, Kurt!"

"I mean right at the start. And what about Wes and David?"

Blaine shrugged. "Wes and David are still awesome but I didn't spend as much time with them as I did with you. You were well on your way to becoming my best friend from that first day you transferred."

Satisfied, Kurt pressed a quick kiss to his husband's cheek before continuing.

"_Slowly, Kurt found his place, but he also discovered something else. He had more than just friends feelings towards his friend Blaine, and he didn't know whether Blaine felt the same way. When Valentines Day came -"_

"Kurt, honey?"

Kurt took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. "Yes, Blaine?"

"Can we skip Valentines Day? I really don't think any future kids need to hear that."

Kurt considered it for a few seconds. "They probably don't need advice on how to embarrass themselves… but then again, they might need advice on how _not _to. And if I skip Valentines Day, I'm going to talk about Rachel's party. Your call."

"Valentines Day it is."

Kurt smirked.

"_When Valentines Day came along, Blaine sang a song to another boy and that made Kurt sad. But the other boy didn't like Blaine in the same way and Kurt told Blaine that he liked him that way. Because Blaine was a very nice and dapper young man -"_

"Would you stop calling me that? I doubt they're going to know what dapper _means_ when we're telling them this, Kurt."

"_Because Blaine was a very nice young man - _satisfied? - _he didn't want to hurt Kurt's feelings so they stayed friends for a little while longer. Then one day when Kurt was singing -"_

Blaine cleared his throat again and Kurt whipped his head around to glare at him. "_What_?"

"You're not going to mention the 'sexy' debacle?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "It's a _fairytale_. I'm not putting sex in a fairytale. Seriously, what kind of twisted fairytales did you grow up with?"

Ignoring his husband's mutterings, he continued his story.

"_One day when Kurt was singing a song about his pet bird that had died, Blaine suddenly realized how much he cared about Kurt and that he did like him as more than friends. And so he asked Kurt to be his boyfriend, and usually they would kiss at this point but for some reason Blaine didn't kiss Kurt, even though he was expecting it -"_

"You know why."

"Yes, I know why. _They _don't, and they're about to find out if you stay quiet for long enough to let me get it out!"

"_Instead, Blaine asked Kurt out on a date that night… _actually, do you want to take over? I think it'll be better from your point of view."

Blaine nodded, putting down the notebook and holding out his arms for their daughter. Kurt gently maneuvered her over before taking up the notebook and wrapping an arm around his husband. Blaine stared down into the blankets for a moment before quietly picking up the story.

"_Blaine was very nervous because he wasn't good at being romantic and had never had a boyfriend before, which is why he hadn't kissed Kurt straight away. He wanted it to be perfect. So he tried to think of all of the romantic things he knew from movies but he couldn't think of anything that he thought Kurt would really like. So in desperation, he called Kurt's best friend Mercedes -"_

"Who you will know as Aunt Mercedes, even though she isn't related to you in any way." Blaine raised an eyebrow. "And now you know how it feels to be interrupted all the time. Continue."

"_Mercedes told Blaine that Kurt loved picnics, so Blaine went home that afternoon and put together a huge picnic basket with lots of yummy food and some extra special drinks - _don't give me that look! You think of a better way to say I illegally procured alcohol from my older brother!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Honey, they're not going to know what alcohol is. What does it matter? You brought champagne and it was very sweet, even if it was a little over the top."

"You weren't complaining at the time!"

"That's because I was tipsy, sweetheart. Everything was fantastic at that point, especially with what was coming up next, so hurry up and get to it."

"_And then Blaine drove back to their school and picked Kurt up and took him up the top of a hill with a lookout. They had their picnic and watched the sun set over the lake and Blaine had brought his guitar along and played some songs he had written just for Kurt. And then the fireflies came out and neither of the boys had never felt happier in their lives. And then…"_

Blaine trailed off, and for a moment both boys were lost in thoughts, remembering that moment when they had turned to each other, lying together on the picnic rug Blaine had brought along. Blaine twining both of their hands together, pressing closer to Kurt. The awkward hesitance where they both realized that neither of them had done _this_ before - not in a way that counted - and then…

"_And then they kissed for the very first time_."

Neither of them could find the words to properly explain that kiss, and Kurt suddenly understood why fairytale stories never went into detail about that moment, simply sticking with the plain words. Because nothing would ever sum it up.

Their hands unconsciously found each others and then Kurt was leaning in to kiss Blaine again. And no matter how many times they had done it over the past eight years, it never changed. From that moment on the hill to now, as a happily married couple with their first child in their arms, it was still as it had always been.

Kurt rested his head against Blaine's shoulder, giving them a moment of quiet before he finished the story.

"_All it took was that kiss for Kurt and Blaine to know that they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives. They moved in together after they had finished school and went to colleges near by. And when they could -" _Kurt choosing not to mention the legal battles and the unpleasantness they had faced before they _finally _could, "_they got married. Kurt started his own design shop and Blaine became a lawyer. And then they had their first child together, and they named her Elizabeth Rose Anderson-Hummel."_

Kurt finished writing and pushed the blankets back so they could take a look at their daughter. Elizabeth was sleeping peacefully and Kurt drank the sight in, memorizing every part of her. There was already so much of Blaine in her, and somehow she had Kurt's nose, even though he wasn't biologically her father. Hints of Rachel came through here and there, a constant reminder of their daughter's surrogate and the woman they owed her existence to. But this was their daughter, their first of many.

Blaine stood, walking over to the cot and gently placing her in it. Kurt followed, wrapping his arms around his husband's waist and resting his head on his shoulder. They stared down at her for a few more seconds before turning away to flip the light off and head off to their own bed, leaving the diary resting on their daughter's bedside table. It was hers, after all.

* * *

><p>In the middle of the night, when Kurt had woken to Elizabeth's cries and sleepily pulled himself out of bed to her room, fed her, and rocked her back to sleep, he gazed at her again, running his fingers softly over her tiny hands and thinking about how lucky they were. He and Blaine were each other's first love, first kiss, first everything that mattered. Their lives hadn't been perfect, and sometimes Kurt had found himself wondering why he stuck with it, all the fights, the long hours apart from each other for work, the time Blaine had walked out… but all it took was putting their story into a fairytale to show Kurt that he <em>was <em>lucky, and he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"_And then they lived happily ever after," _he whispered softly to the sleeping girl resting in his arms. "And I hope you do too."

* * *

><p><strong>Pass?<strong>

**The cheesiness police are dragging me away as I write…. **

_**(Angela: Excuse me, I am here to arrest a Miss Sarah ******** for excessive use of cheesiness in a site called 'FanFiction' or something. We received several complaints from angry civilians who apparently lost their teeth and are now faced with dental bills they can't afford. Miss ********, you're coming downtown with me. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You are allowed the right to a lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer, one will be provided for you. Now get in the police car!)**_


	6. Six

**My heart goes out to all of those who are dealing with the London Riots right now. I hope you all stay safe and take care of yourselves and those close to you. **

**For those who commented on the last chapter being my first future fic, I'm glad you all liked it :) I usually don't write them as husbands or with children because I'm happier writing in their teenage years, but once again, the story just wrote itself. ****I wish this one had…**

**This is written back when Kurt had only just gone to Dalton because that's the only real setting that would work. So if I got pairings or events wrong, I apologize.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 6: A video game, A broom and A Candle.<strong>_

Blaine Anderson would freely admit that he was clueless at times - his track record spoke for itself. He had missed obvious signs, done insensitive things and had basically been a teenage boy. But regardless of all of that, Blaine knew he wasn't completely oblivious. So when he walked into his friends room to see him hastily shoving something under his bed, Blaine knew something was up.

"What was that?"

Kurt put on his best innocent face, but Blaine was reading right through it. "Oh, Blaine! Hi… um, what are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, Blaine dropped to his knees next to Kurt's bed and reached under it, ignoring his protests. When his fingers met wood he flinched back a little in surprise before grabbing the object and dragging it out. After a couple of seconds of staring at it, he lifted his head to Kurt in confusion. "A… broom?" He examined it closer, noticing the writing on the handle. "A Nimbus 2001? Kurt?"

"Okay, fine." Kurt dropped to the ground as well and reached under the bed, pulling out a box. "New Directions are having a Halloween party and we all have to dress up."

Blaine reached into the box and pulled out a blonde wig, barely suppressing his laughter. "So you're going as _Draco Malfoy_?"

"And this is why I didn't tell you." Kurt shoved the box back under the bed, taking the wig back from Blaine. "Santana forbade anything Disney so I couldn't go as one of the princes and as fabulous as I look in a dress, I couldn't resist when I found the costume online."

Blaine stood, offering Kurt a hand up. "I love it, I can't wait to see you in that wig."

Kurt shook his head. "Not a chance. I'm getting changed at Santana's house and blocking access to all of the photos. I've only just started getting settled here, I'd rather not blow that by giving everybody a bad impression of what I do in my spare time."

"Kurt, nobody here will judge you. We've dressed up as far worse."

"Regardless, I'd rather keep it under wraps." Kurt turned back to his phone which had just started to ring. "Mercedes," he sighed, "has been looking for a suitable outfit for days and has called me seventeen times so far. Sorry, I'd better help her out."

Blaine nodded, giving a wave as Kurt answered the phone, sounding exasperated. But as he left the room, he began to make a few plans of his own.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I'm off to my Halloween party."<p>

Blaine nodded absently before pausing the video game he was playing with Wes, David and Thad. "Have fun," he said cheerfully, the rest of the boys echoing his sentiments. Kurt nodded, giving a wave before disappearing out the door again. The second he was gone, all four boys threw down their controllers - and really, they had played _Halo_ far too many times to be healthy, saving their progress didn't matter - and stood, heading over to Blaine's closet. "Alright, Santana said we should get there around seven, the party will be in full swing by then. We have an hour to kill before we need to leave."

"So why are we getting ready now?"

Blaine smirked. "Because we're entering in style, gentlemen."

It was with identical smirks that the other three boys quickly changed into their costumes. Wes cringed as he slipped the bright red wig over his hair. "Blaine, I'll have you know that red is not my color."

"He knows that because he tried dying it red once," David interjected helpfully. "Back in eighth grade, he thought it would be cool - OI! You are _not _taking that gavel!"

Wes slipped the gavel back into his pocket. "As I was saying, red isn't my color but considering I'm just about ready to do anything to get you and Kurt to get together, I'll do it."

"Wes, this isn't so Kurt and I can get together."

David raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so why are we gatecrashing this party then?" Blaine struggled for words for a few seconds and came up blank. "Look, we know you're interested in Kurt but you played up the whole mentor thing because he needed help. But Kurt's doing a lot better now and you don't have to hide your feelings."

"Guys, it doesn't matter. Let's just have fun, alright?" Blaine was relieved when the others dropped the subject. No matter how right they were, he didn't want it to leak out that he had ulterior motives for what he was about to do. Checking the time, he quickly picked up the rest of their props and handed them out. "Alright, let's go crash a party!"

* * *

><p>Blaine's phone buzzed and he quietly pulled it out, showing the message to the others. <em>Let's go<em>, he mouthed. Together they quietly inched around the back of the house towards the noise and music. Blaine could hear Kurt laughing and couldn't hide a smile. And then Santana's voice rose up above the others. "Hey, Draco! Got your wand?"

"Santana, if that's some kind of innuendo, I don't want to know."

David was biting down on his fist, trying not to laugh. "No, seriously. Does that outfit come with a wand." Apparently Kurt had pulled one out as she continued. "Good. Because there's someone here who wants to duel you."

Blaine could almost hear Kurt frowning. "But nobody else here is magical. Who am I meant to duel?"

That was his cue. Gesturing to the others, they quickly stepped around the side of the house, robes billowing behind them. "That would be me," he announced, watching as Kurt's head snapped around in shock. "We have some unfinished business, Malfoy."

There was a moment of silence, then apparently Santana couldn't resist. "Wanky!" she called out. "Get your wand action on, boys!"

And just like that, the tension was broken. Mercedes and Quinn wandered over to introduce themselves to the Gryffindor boys and Blaine took a few steps closer to Kurt. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion." He reached out, tugging on a strand of Kurt's blonde wig. "Nice look."

Kurt was blushing and attempting to look angry. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd pull out the old HP costume." Blaine brushed imaginary dirt off his robes, shouldering his broom. "Plus, I haven't been to a good Halloween party in ages and when you didn't invite me along, I gave Santana a call. She said, and I quote; 'As long as you bring some of those prep school boys, you're welcome to gatecrash.' She also wanted alcohol but that wasn't happening." Glancing around at the occupants of the back yard, he couldn't hold back a smirk. "I don't think they need any more anyway."

Kurt shook his head. "No, everything's fine on the alcohol front," he said absently, his eyes focused on the top of Blaine's head. "Your hair…"

Blaine touched a hand to his wild curls. "Yeah, couldn't resist. Good?"

"Great," Kurt said, before seeming to realize what he had just said. "I - um…"

"Blaine!" Mercedes was suddenly draping her arms around him, looking slightly intoxicated. He turned to face the girl, taking in her vampire costume with a slightly concerned smile. _Please tell me she's not into Twilight.._. "You make a damn fine Harry Potter, I must say."

Blaine leant his broom up against the table and gave the girl a proper hug. "Thanks, you're looking great too. I see you finally found a costume?"

"Kurt was a great help." Mercedes gestured behind him and Blaine turned, only to see that Kurt had disappeared, his broom resting next to Blaine's, and was dancing with Brittany. "You know he's totally into you, right?"

Blaine blinked a couple of times. No, he _hadn't _known that… "Mercedes, are you sure?"

"I couldn't be more sure. Kurt never stops talking about you, on and on and on, and whining about how you never notice him. He'd probably kill me if he found out I told you but for some reason I can't stop talking."

Blaine smirked despite the circumstances. _I wonder what reason that could be. _"Okay, Mercedes, how about you go dance with… Sam?"

Mercedes nodded, turning to wander over to the previously blonde haired boy who was now bright blue all over. Blaine knew something of his Avatar addiction but hadn't quite expected that.

Glancing around the backyard, Blaine took in all of the people and decorations. It truly was a proper Halloween party with candles strung about, carved pumpkins that glowed in the night and various bats and cobwebs strewn about the place. Blaine hadn't actually expected Santana to go to this great of a length, especially when most of the guests would most likely end up too drunk to remember what happened.

Blaine watched with a smirk as Wes accepted the drink offered to him by Santana. They hadn't chosen a designated driver, but considering the look on Santana's face, it would almost definitely end up being Blaine. Which was fine with him, he wanted to be in complete control of his mind tonight. Because after hearing the revelations from Mercedes, he knew tonight was the night. Tonight he was going to tell Kurt Hummel that he liked him.

The only issue now was getting Kurt alone. But from what Kurt had let slip before - to his clear embarrassment - made Blaine more confident that, with the right words, Kurt would end up talking to him before he knew it. This was going to work.

He started off small. Kurt was now dancing with Tina and Blaine quietly made his way across the yard to where they were. Sneaking up behind Kurt, he leaned in and whispered in his ear, "You know, you make a pretty good blonde. _Hot _even."

He turned quickly, dancing over to Quinn who was dressed as Alice and taking her hands. She smiled knowingly, clearly on to his scheme, and he twirled her in closer. "Am I doing the right thing?"

"Absolutely. I heard what Mercedes said, and yes she's drunk but she's also right. You're the best thing that's happened to Kurt." Quinn wrapped her arms around his neck, swaying to the music. "We don't see him as much as we used to, but every time he comes home for the weekend and we catch up, he's got this spark about him. And I'd feel bad about telling you, except I know you feel the same and you're going to do something about it tonight, right?"

Blaine nodded, pulling away from Quinn as the music changed to a faster song. "I think your boyfriend wants to dance with you." True enough, Sam was making his way in their direction, clearly finished dancing with Mercedes who was now attempting to cut in on Finn and Rachel. Blaine stepped back, allowing Sam to cut in. Turning around, he saw Mike move in to dance with Tina, leaving Kurt to head over to the food, Blaine following. "So, Malfoy, didn't bring Pansy with you tonight?"

"Pansy's been getting on my nerves," Kurt said without looking up, examining the punch bowl. "I notice you brought Ginny though. Do you think this is spiked?"

Blaine lifted the ladle, sniffing it. "Pretty sure. And what do you mean I brought Ginny?" Kurt pointed towards Wes and Santana, smirking, and Blaine snorted. "Oh, _that _Ginny. I think… _she's _a bit more interested in Catwoman." Blaine mock-pouted then lowered his voice. "For the record, I never thought much of Harry and Ginny."

"Oh?" Kurt turned to him, looking confused.

Blaine nodded, winking. "Yeah. I'm a bit of a Drarry shipper myself." Catching Thad's eye, Blaine smirked at the stunned looking Kurt and slipped past him, leaving that bit of information for the boy to ponder over. Hopefully Kurt would take the initiative from there.

"So," Thad said as soon as Blaine reached him, "how's it going?"

"I think the question is, why aren't you dancing with any of these pretty girls?" Blaine waved a hand around the back yard. "Mercedes is lovely and…" Blaine spun, trying to see who had caught Thad's eye. "Oh, Santana? Well, Wes looks like he's moved on, so go talk to her."

Thad raised an eyebrow. "Would she want to?"

"Santana's... very eager," Blaine said tactfully, "and loves meeting new people, according to Kurt. Go introduce yourself, get her a drink and enjoy yourself!"

Thad nodded, heading over to the punch table. Just as Blaine was about to find someone else to dance with, a pair of hands were resting on his shoulders and a voice was whispering in his ear. "Just so you know, I've _always _shipped Drarry."

And then Kurt was gone. Blaine turned to see him strike up a conversation with David who was leaning against the side of the house, looking far too nonchalant for what he had just admitted. _Ball's in your court now, _he told himself. _Better do this right. _

Thankfully, it seemed that everybody else were mind readers tonight, because David caught Blaine's eye and immediately made his excuses to Kurt, heading off in Wes's direction to try and stop his friend from drinking more punch. As Kurt stared up at the candles floating above his head, Blaine crossed the yard and leaned against the house next to him. "You know, they never really progressed that relationship as much as they could have. We all know Harry and Ginny was just a cover up for his overwhelmingly flamboyant homosexual tendencies. I mean, Ron being the thing he would sorely miss in the lake challenge? We all know what that means."

"And Draco was always very feminine, wasn't he?" Kurt murmured back, still staring up at the candles. "But you could tell from the way that he baited Harry that he just wanted his attention. He wasn't meant to like Harry, after all, it wasn't right from his social standing. And everybody knew Harry was too good for Draco."

Blaine frowned, letting his hand fall so it was resting next to Kurt's against the house. "Did Draco really think that? I think Harry thought that he would never be enough for Draco, that Draco deserved someone more like him. Plus, Harry was in the house of courage but he never really acted on it… not much."

After a second of hesitation, Kurt's fingers met his. "He had plenty, and he taught others to have their own courage. Draco was certainly ambitious though, and I think if he had wanted Harry, he should have just gone after him."

"Why didn't he?" Blaine knew perfectly well they had moved from the realm of fiction a long time ago, but if it was helping them both confess then he was going to stick with it.

Kurt turned to face him, pushing away from the wall. "Because Harry seemed to have it all together, Harry didn't seem to need anybody. Draco constantly needed attention to feel validated, Harry was just… Harry."

"Harry needed people too." Blaine moved closer, closing the gap between them. "But with the past he had, he wasn't used to people caring about him like that."

"Neither was Draco," Kurt whispered. "But I think, in the end, they let each other in. They realized they were more alike than they seemed and they didn't have to hide anymore."

Blaine could feel Kurt's breath and couldn't wait any longer. "I think so too," he whispered before removing the distance between them and pressing their lips together softly. Kurt was kissing back instantly, almost as if he had been waiting to do this for as long as Blaine had. _Probably has_, Blaine mused to himself, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist and tugging him closer, reveling in the moment he had been waiting so long for.

And then Kurt was pulling away, whispering to him, "You ship Drarry, but what about Klaine?"

It took Blaine a few seconds, but he quickly unwrapped his arms and reached up to pull the wig off Kurt's head. Kurt squeaked, lifting his hands in an attempt to fix his hair, but Blaine pulled them back down. "I've _always _shipped Klaine," he murmured back before kissing him again, feeling Kurt melt into him and trying not to smile smugly. _The day you make Kurt Hummel forget he has wig-hair, you're doing something right._

They finally broke apart, aware of the other occupants of the yard. Nobody had seen them yet, but if Santana was the one to spot them then all hell would break loose, and Blaine knew it. Keeping their hands linked, they were about to make their way back to the party when Kurt stopped him, leaning over to whisper in his ear again. "Are you using a Confundus Charm, or are you just naturally mind-blowing?"

By the time Blaine had recovered from the fact that Kurt had just used a Harry Potter _pick up line_ on him, Kurt was gone, gossiping eagerly with Tina who had clearly seen what had just happened. Blaine shook his head before murmuring to himself, "I'll put you on my Quidditch team, babe, 'cause you're a Keeper."

* * *

><p><strong>So I couldn't resist those last pick-up lines. My inspiration and source (though I don't think this person made them up) for those was <strong>_**The Magic Words **_**by **_**Threepwillow**_**. And I just couldn't keep away from Drarry because I shipped them like mad when I first joined FanFiction. Now I'm a Harmony supporter =D**

**By the way, my 'grade' for my last chapter which was given by **_**Kuro Garyuu **_**was 84%. And **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**gave me a very solid and resounding pass :)**

**Pass or fail?**


	7. Seven

**There's something I need to address before we continue, so please read. I've noticed a few people who have taken it upon themselves to grade me for each story. While I'm okay with it when it's in good fun, I'd like to let you know what the rules were that **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**laid down for me, therefore the only rules I'll be following:**

**1. I have to write each story mentioning all three of the objects/themes listed at least **_**once**_**. So if I only make a small reference to something, it doesn't mean I've failed. As long as it's in there, it's alright.**

**2. I have to have the story containing Kurt and Blaine's first kiss**

**3. I have to complete it in 24 hours.**

**So, that's that. If you are going to grade me, I would appreciate not losing 'points' over things like not including certain people because those aren't the terms of me writing this. In the end, this is for **_**Chasing Aspirations**_** and that is the only person I aim to please with these stories. Everybody else, just enjoy the fact that you get two stories a day updated from me, okay?**

**If this seems bitchy, I do apologize but I've had a string of strange and sometimes negative reviews that's got me on edge lately. Plus I have a migraine as I write and it sucks. I do mean what I say though. **

**Oh, and I've been informed that in America, a torch is the kind that you light with a flame. I wrote it with a torch being a flashlight which it is over here, and I'm afraid I couldn't find it in myself to change it. I'll leave it up to **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**whether I need to repeat it tomorrow.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 7: A fortune teller, A torch and An empty coffee cup<strong>_

Dalton Academy was a very prestigious school, filled to the brim with charming, dapper young men who would one day grow up to be the doctors and lawyers of America. The zero tolerance bullying policy ensured that nobody had a reason to stir up trouble, and aside from a few incidents every year from rebellious teens who didn't _want _the future their parents had picked, there were no issues. Everybody could feel safe.

Which was why the staff who supervised the boarding house were possibly slightly more lenient than they should have been. One room check was carried out at 10pm each night and then one teacher was left to supervise for the next three hours in case of any disturbances. That teacher could always be found asleep by 11pm. But it didn't matter, after all, it wasn't like any of the young gentlemen would be sneaking out to visit their girlfriends or anything.

So if anybody had seen the figure sneaking out of the first floor window of the boarding house at quarter to midnight on a Tuesday night, their first thought would be that someone had burgled the place. But closer inspection would reveal a teenage boy, not dressed in the Dalton Academy uniform but rather in a fashionable pair of jeans and sweater, who was currently making his way down to the back of the school and into the forest.

Kurt glanced behind him once more to make sure nobody was following before slipping into the trees. Only when he was a few yards in did he feel it was safe to turn on his torch. The chances of someone happening to look out their window and see his light at this time of night were slim to none, but he couldn't be too careful. After all, what he was doing wasn't only against the rules but was against every moral code of every young man in that building. But if the rumors were true, it would be worth it.

When Kurt had first arrived at Dalton and received the tour from one Blaine Anderson, they had visited all of the classrooms - of course - before heading down to the grounds. It was there that Kurt made a rather interesting discovery…

"_So this is the football field," Blaine gestured to the large field at the back of the school. "If you elect physical education, you'll have half here and half in the gymnasium."_

_Kurt's attention, however, was caught by the large expanse of trees at the back of the school. "What's back there?"_

_Blaine looked to where he was pointing and paled. "You don't want to go back there, okay? It's not safe."_

"_Why? Is it like the Forbidden Forest and I'm going to discover werewolves and thestrals?"_

_Blaine didn't even crack a smile which was odd because he was the biggest Harry Potter nerd Kurt knew. "No, worse than that. There's a band of gypsies that live there."_

_Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Wait, that's not very nice you know? They're just people too."_

"_Most of them. These ones have lived there for the past year and claimed the land as their own. They made some rather clear and violent threats as to what would happen if anybody came onto their land and the board has declared it off limits." Blaine turned to him, his expression urgent. "Please, Kurt, don't go back there."_

Kurt knew if Blaine ever found out what he had done, the boy would lecture him before handing him over to face the Council's wrath. But this was important and it had to be done. He just hoped that the lack of Dalton uniform would throw the gypsies off long enough for him to reach his goal.

Pushing past another tree branch, Kurt found himself in a clearing that looked like it had been hastily evacuated. Slowly, Kurt placed the torch on the ground before raising his hands. "I have come to speak to Melinda, the fortune teller. I come with no ill will."

After a few moments of tense silence where Kurt couldn't shake the feeling that there were weapons pointed at him from all directions, a woman emerged from the forest flanked by two men. "What business do you have with Melinda?" one growled at him.

"I wish to seek her expertise on a matter close to my heart."

The woman stepped forward, gesturing for the men to leave. "You have come from the Academy."

"I have, but I'm not here to represent them. I come as my own person." Kurt reached slowly into his bag, pulling out the item he had kept there. "I hear nobody has utilized your skills in a long time and I wish to request them."

Melinda gestured for him to follow and Kurt picked up his torch, walking after the woman into the forest. Soon enough they came upon another clearing, also deserted, but with a fire lit in the middle. "Sit," she commanded and Kurt seated himself on the ground, trying not to think about grass stains on his jeans. "You wish to know whether your love has similar feelings."

Kurt blinked. "Yes," he said, trying not to show his surprise. "I thought he did, but I'm starting to think it was wrong. I know it's a trivial matter and some would say it's not worthy of your time -"

"Love is the most important thing on this earth. Love of a significant other, love of friends, love of… family." Melinda stared over his head for a moment before coming back to reality. "Do you have an anchor?"

Kurt handed over the empty coffee cup, procured from Blaine's wastebin that afternoon when he had ducked out momentarily during their study session. "Will this do?"

In answer, Melinda stood and walked over to the water pitcher. Dipping the cup into it, she stared down into the water for a few moments before returning. "Look into the cup," she guided, handing it back to Kurt, "and imagine the one you love…"

* * *

><p>"Kurt?"<p>

Kurt glanced up from his coffee cup to see Blaine smiling at him. "Where'd you go?"

"Oh, sorry. Lost in thought." Raising the cup, Kurt drained it before tossing it in the bin. "So you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Blaine nodded. "I - first, I know this is horridly rude but is there a chance I could come to your house tonight for dinner?"

Kurt stared at the boy sitting across from him in surprise. "You're always welcome at my house, you know that. But what's the occasion?"

"There's… I wanted to talk to your dad about something actually?"

Kurt frowned. "My dad?" The obvious thought came to mind. "Oh, is it about your car? You know I can take a look at it if it's making that noise again, but maybe you'd better bring it into the shop." Both boys stood, grabbing their bags. "How about you go by there now and take it in, then you can ride back to the house with my dad and I'll drive us home later."

"That'd be great." Blaine pulled his keys out, Kurt doing the same as they headed out to the car park. "I'll see you back at your place."

As Blaine pulled out of the parking lot, Kurt couldn't help but wonder what was going on. It seemed like there was a lot more to it than Blaine's car… and come to think of it, the car had sounded perfectly healthy when Blaine had driven off. Kurt had to suspect foul play. _If he's telling my dad to give me __another__ sex talk, I will be highly unimpressed._

All Kurt could do was head home, help Carole cook dinner - since he was bringing someone else over, he thought that was only fair - and wait for Blaine and his father to get home. It took a lot longer than expected; Kurt had figured that they would talk about the car problems and then head back, but maybe it had only needed a bit of work and his dad had decided to do it then.

Dinner was ready and Finn was already at the table trying not to whine by the time the front door opened. As Kurt brought out the final plates, Blaine and Burt appeared and Kurt could immediately tell there was something different about Blaine, but couldn't work out what. _What happened down there?_

"This looks great, Kurt." Burt took his usual seat and Kurt directed Blaine to sit down next to him. "And Blaine's car is fine. I just, uh, gave it a _tune up_ and he should be good to go."

Kurt frowned, trying to work out the meaning behind the emphasis. Then he glanced at Blaine who was staring down at the table and it clicked. _Please, please tell me that Dad didn't get some misguided ideas and threaten him!_

Dinner passed in its usual fashion. Finn shovelled everything into his mouth that he could reach before disappearing to the living room. Blaine kept up a cheerful and polite conversation with Kurt and Carole, but the tension in his shoulders was unignorable and Kurt was determined to have a long talk with Blaine and then a stern talk with his father once they had finished eating.

As soon as everybody was done, Kurt stood and began to stack up the plates before Carole stopped him. "Honey, I've got that. Why don't you go into the living room with Blaine?"

"Yeah, come on kid." Burt gestured to him and Kurt's frown doubled. _What is going on here? _But as soon as they entered the room, it got weirder. Burt reached down and unplugged Finn's X-Box, eliciting a howl of protest from the boy. "Come on, you're helping clean up. Leave these two alone."

Finn stared at him in confusion, probably looking the same as Kurt did. Then something seemed to click and Finn turned to stare at Blaine before following Burt out. Kurt watched them go, shaking his head. "What is going on with everybody tonight?"

"I think I can answer that." Blaine touched his shoulder lightly, steering him over to the couch and sitting beside him. "They're giving us time alone to… _talk_."

And there was that emphasis again. "Talk about what?" Kurt asked, feeling completely lost.

Blaine sighed. "Kurt, there was nothing wrong with my car. I just needed an excuse to talk to your dad without you getting suspicious -"

"Which didn't work," Kurt interrupted. "I knew your car was alright, I just couldn't work out what was happening."

Blaine nodded and, to Kurt's surprise, reached out to take his hand. "I needed to talk to him… because I had something I wanted to say to you, but I needed to get his - _permission _first. That's why it took so long for us to come back… it took awhile. But he agreed."

"Agreed to _what_, Blaine?"

"Agreed to let me ask you whether you would consider becoming my boyfriend."

The world stopped. Kurt could only stare at Blaine, the words replaying over and over in his head. "I -"

Blaine's smile faltered. "If you don't want to, you know you don't have to. I just -"

"Blaine, how could you think my answer would be anything other than yes?" Kurt all but whispered, staring at Blaine like he couldn't believe he was real. It _was _hard to believe sometimes, that someone like Blaine could exist in Ohio - someone out and proud, handsome, charming, near _perfect_… and someone who now apparently wanted _Kurt _to be his boyfriend? It was almost like the whole thing was a dream.

And then the dream just got better. Because Blaine was leaning in closer, the distance disappearing until their lips were touching.

_Blaine Anderson is kissing me._

Before he could even think about it, Kurt was kissing back, softly at first but with growing urgency, as if they were making up for lost time. And all Kurt wanted was for this moment to last _forever_, the feeling of Blaine's lips against his to never leave, the security that Blaine was _his _to stay with him for the rest of his life. But, of course, oxygen was vital and soon enough they had to separate.

As Blaine pulled away, Kurt touched a trembling hand to his lips, staring into his boyfriend's light hazel eyes, watching as they grew lighter and lighter until they were the color of the sea…

* * *

><p>"And that is the future."<p>

Kurt slowly raised his head from the cup, feeling as if he had woken from a long sleep. One hand was still pressed lightly to his mouth and he could almost _feel _Blaine's lips against his. "Is - will that definitely happen?"

"It is what is destined at this moment. Events may change, but feelings will not."

Kurt nodded, standing slowly and tipping the water from the cup. "Thank you, Melinda. If you ever want anything from me, name it." He put the cup back in his bag and flicked the torch on, preparing to try and find his way back to Dalton.

"Answer me one question." Kurt turned to see the woman still staring at him. "How did you know to ask for me?"

Kurt smiled. "Santana says hello," he said quietly, watching Melinda's eyes widen in shock. "She misses her big sister, no matter how much she pretends otherwise. And if you ever want to talk to her, just come up to Dalton and find me."

As Kurt walked out of the forest, his mind filled with a future of himself and Blaine, he missed the single tear sliding down Melinda's cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>Let me make it clear right now that I have nothing against gypsies. I'm going off stories I've read and documentaries I've watched on their lives, as well as throwing a bit of fantasy into the mix. I've never met one, I have no judgement against them.<strong>


	8. Eight

**So, because it's the second week, I was informed that it's being 'kicked up a notch.' Which I was cool with because I thought that just meant another object to put in, but **_**no**_**. No, **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**isn't predictable. Now I have an **_**emotion **_**to put in each one. **

**I'm totally up for the challenge, of course!**

**Oh, and to those who apologized for offending me with their responses, I wasn't offended, just a bit... shall we say, confused, as to why I was being told I might not pass when I had filled the criteria. We're all good now though, okay? :)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8: A disguise, A football game, A scarf and shyness. <strong>_

"Kurt…"

"No." Kurt slammed his locker door shut and walked away, completely ignoring the voice calling after him and the sound of wheels clicking along the hall.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kurt, what's up my boy!"<p>

"Puck, I'm _not _your boy. I know what you want and my answer is no. Got it?"

"If I say no, will you join -"

Kurt stood and walked away, leaving his half eaten lunch behind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Rutxe srung, Kurt."<em>

Kurt almost dropped his hairspray at that. "Sam, asking me in _Na'vi _is _not _helping your case in the slightest. Get out of here."

* * *

><p>"Dude, <em>please<em>…"

"We've talked about calling me _dude. _Get out of my room, Finn, I'm busy. It's still a no."

* * *

><p>"Kurt, please, just hear them out."<p>

Kurt sighed, glaring at the girls surrounding him. "I don't know they roped you into this…" he pretended to think. "Oh, yes I do. You're all dating them or madly in love with them and the second they ask you to do something, you're there."

Lauren snorted. "Please, I'm not whipped." The other girls couldn't make the same argument, Quinn glaring at Rachel.

"Look, just let them in and get it over and done with, okay?"

The girls disappeared out of the room as Puck, Artie, Finn, Mike and Sam entered. Finn, as usual, cut straight to the chase. "Why won't you do it?"

"You've heard the term 'been there, done that?' Well, I've been there for all the wrong reasons and I don't want to go back again. It was an experience and I'm not inclined to repeat it." Kurt glared at the boys, crossing his arms. "Seriously, I've been back at McKinley a _week _and you're already on my case?"

Puck dragged around a chair, sitting backwards on it and fixing Kurt with his best begging look. "Kurt, the pride of McKinley high depends on you. Coach Bieste is almost ready to get down here and beg you herself and that's saying something."

Kurt sighed again, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure there's another boy in this school who can be your kicker. Plus, you don't want me and my music."

"But we do," Sam spoke up, surprising Kurt. "I never actually saw you in action, but these guys say you were brilliant."

Mike nodded and then gave the most logical argument of all - and Kurt was actually inclined to listen since Mike was the only one who hadn't cornered him somewhere. "And face it, you might not care about this stuff but it'll improve your rep around here. You came back, refusing to be intimidated away because you're gay. Now you won't let something like a stereotype bind you down, and you'll do things in your own way no matter what."

Kurt thought about it for a few seconds. He _had _enjoyed his brief stint on the football team, even if he had been doing it to prove a point that was completely wrong. And he knew the guys were eager to make things right with him and make him feel more included as one of the guys. _What have you got to lose?_

"Alright," he said, watching with a wry smile as the guys proceeded to high five and fist bump. "But not a word of this leaks out. I don't need any of those Dalton boys giving me grief over this." _Especially not Blaine, _he thought to himself, his smile dropping away as he thought of his friend. The guys were already heading out to tell their coach the good news but Kurt barely noticed, lost in memories.

He had been _so _sure that Blaine was going to make some kind of move around Regionals time. He had seen the look on Blaine's face when he sung _Blackbird_ and knew, _knew_, that something had changed. And then Blaine had mentioned that duet and how he wanted to sing with Kurt and Kurt had just finished wondering how this could get any more _romantic _when the Council had put their foot down - they were happy for Blaine to have a duet partner, but protocol had to be followed and auditions had to be conducted.

Kurt had been sure that wouldn't be an issue though. He rocked his audition duet, swapped flirty smiles with Blaine the whole time… and then had later been informed that Jeff would be singing the duet with Blaine. And since then, the tension had simply remained unresolved. In the build up to Regionals, neither boy had had the chance to talk about what was going on, and then afterwards it was like the giant elephant in the room that nobody would acknowledge. And then the news came of Kurt being able to transfer, and that had been that. Of course he still spoke with Blaine frequently and that same tension was still there, so unbearably there that sometimes Kurt just wanted to scream _I love you! _across the table while they were having coffee. But there was nothing he could do now.

The second bell ringing jarred Kurt out of his thoughts, reminding him that he did have classes to attend, and football practice after school now. Sighing, he made his way to fifth period wondering what on earth he had gotten himself into.

* * *

><p>Collapsing on his bed, Kurt ran a tired hand through his damp hair. Despite the fact that he would only be called in probably once the entire game, Coach Bieste had still made Kurt do the full workout with the other boys and he was <em>dead<em>. After a long shower, Kurt was all set for an even longer nap when his phone buzzed.

**From Blaine: **_Hey :) how was your day?_

Kurt frowned as he always did when he received a text from Blaine. _Is he texting me for any reason in particular - is there something he wants to say or does he just like talking to me or…_

**From Kurt: **_Pretty average, just another McKinley day. Yours?_

Groaning, Kurt attempted to stretch out his tired hamstrings. He couldn't help but wonder what Blaine's reaction would be if he found out that Kurt was back on the football team… come to think of it, did he ever tell Blaine he had been on the team in the first place? Kurt couldn't remember.

**From Blaine: **_You know us Warblers, boring as ever! Surely something interesting is going on?_

Kurt stared down at the text for a minute before smirking. _Well, at least I can have a bit of fun with him. He's not going to know what I'm on about._

**From Kurt: **_The boys have been driving me crazy with their requests. I finally gave in and now I'm exhausted and so sore. Friday night is going to be crazy! Anyway, I need a nap now so I'll talk to you later :)_

Kurt switched his phone off and curled up on his side, already feeling himself falling asleep. _And to hell with the consequences, _he thought tiredly, _I'm sick of dancing around this._

* * *

><p>At Dalton, Blaine was just picking himself up off the floor with a curious Wes laughing at him. "What on earth? One second you're looking at your phone with your <em>I'm texting Kurt <em>smile, then you look like you've seen a ghost and faceplant off your desk chair? What'd he say to you?" With that, Wes's laughter faded. "Hold on, he's not having any trouble, is he?"

"It's nothing, Wes," Blaine said absently, already halfway out the door. "Just… took me by surprise is all."

_Understatement and a half, _he thought to himself, beginning to pace the halls. As far as he had known, Kurt was the only one out at McKinley and unless the place had changed drastically since Kurt had returned, Blaine really couldn't imagine _groups _of guys approaching Kurt to offer him… what?

Blaine didn't even want to think about it. The text certainly sounded like Kurt was experiencing activities of a sexual nature which wasn't what Blaine had expected from his friend at _all_. No, he didn't think Kurt was a prude or anything, but he still vividly remembered the conversation - or lack thereof - they'd had about sex and it didn't make sense at all. _How can someone go from being practically afraid of sex to… whatever Kurt's doing?_

Frowning, Blaine made his way to the McKinley website. He knew Sue ran it and liked filling with strange stories and rumors, and figured if anything was going on with Kurt and another guy - or, heaven forbid, group of guys - he would find it out there. But what he did find made the pieces click into place straight away.

The McKinley high kicker had just recently broken his ankle and there had been concerns about their game on Friday. But according to Finn Hudson, they had found a new kicker whose name was being kept under wraps until the big game at his request, but they had trained with him already that afternoon and there was potential there for sure.

_Well that clears things up. _Blaine remembered Kurt telling him that he had been a kicker ages ago, and that would explain the guys 'pressuring' him and looking forward to Friday. _So why didn't he just tell me instead of the innuendo?_

Blaine came to two conclusions immediately. One bad, the other much worse. The first was that Kurt was embarrassed about his position on the team and didn't want Blaine to know, perhaps didn't trust Blaine enough not to laugh at him or be scornful. The other… that Kurt had wanted to make Blaine jealous, make him believe that he had moved on…

Either way, Blaine knew his next move was clear. _I have to get to that game. _

But it wasn't as easy as that. Blaine knew that Kurt had frozen him out of this completely - knowing Kurt, he had turned his phone off and wouldn't be texting Blaine for the next few days - and he knew if he pushed too hard or made it obvious that he knew, Kurt would either quit the team or refuse to let him near the game. And as much as Blaine wanted Kurt to play, he needed to be there to see it. He couldn't even understand why, except for the fact that his feelings for Kurt were still growing and there was something about Kurt in a uniform that practically set Blaine's blood on fire.

_So, maybe some subtlety is required._

Blaine froze for a second as the idea hit him, then turned quickly to Jeff's door, banging on it loudly. After a few seconds, an annoyed looking Jeff answered, Nick following behind. "What, Blaine?"

"I'm going to get Kurt," Blaine said, watching their expressions brighten instantly, "and I need your help."

* * *

><p>"Okay, boys! Tonight's the night, if we win this we're in for the championship game!" Coach Bieste crossed her arms, staring them all down. "So don't let me down! Hummel," she barked, turning her attention to Kurt who resisted the urge to cower. This woman was <em>scary<em>. "Apparently you're the stuff of legends. Got that music set up?" Kurt nodded. "Good. Get out there!"

As they approached the field, Kurt couldn't help the flashes of nostalgia he felt when he heard the roar of the crowd. He remembered the scared boy he was almost two years ago, the boy who just wanted to be accepted and was willing to pretend to be someone else to do that. All he had wanted was to be a part of the team, and now that same team had _begged _him to come back. Unity was something he had taken for granted as a Warbler - acceptance like this at McKinley was hard to come by. He wasn't naive enough to think that this would change his social standing after the game, but his one night in the spotlight was enough for him.

Taking his seat on the bench, Kurt watched the starting players take their positions and the cheerleaders move into formation. It was still strange not seeing Quinn, Santana or Brittany in the group, but Kurt just managed to make them out in the crowd, waving at him happily. He waved back before turning his attention to the game that was just about to start. _This is going to be interesting._

* * *

><p><em>This is going to be interesting, <em>Blaine thought to himself, pushing the cap lower over his eyes and pulling Nick's Buckeys jacket around him. Hopefully he blended in as just another sports fan; considering Quinn was sitting a few rows in front and hadn't noticed him yet was a good indication that he was doing a good job with his disguise.

Maybe it was a little over the top, but Blaine knew that Kurt might only get called out once during the game and would spend the rest of the time watching and possibly looking at the crowd. If he did, all he would see was sports fans and definitely not his gay friend who kind of had a massive crush on him. Not yet anyway.

As the game went on, Blaine found himself getting into the excitement of it. He was always a sucker for a good football game and this was no exception. The McKinley team were fighting strong and before Blaine knew it, the game was almost at an end and Kurt was yet to take the field.

And then it happened. Finn scored the perfect touchdown, bringing the crowd to their feet, Blaine included. Then the boy was turning, gesturing to Kurt who climbed to his feet. A hush went over the crowd as the slender boy crossed the field and Blaine shifted nervously, wondering what it meant. And then the chant began, slowly before building up speed. "Single ladies, single ladies, single ladies…"

Blaine stared around in amazement, not just at the clear following Kurt had, but at the sheer hypocrisy of the school. These same people were the ones who made Kurt's life a living hell in the halls because he liked boys and singing. But as soon as he was on their turf and doing something for them, it changed everything.

All that aside, Blaine was _really _looking forward to Kurt's few moments of fame. He knew all too well about the _Single Ladies _performance last time and just hoped Kurt gave them a repeat. And it certainly appeared to be going that way as Kurt lined up, took a couple of steps back and turned to gesture to the AV guys.

And then, for the second time that week, Blaine had the urge to fall off his seat. This time thankfully he managed to restrain himself, but his jaw wasn't picking up off the floor anytime soon because _that wasn't Single Ladies…_

"_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream,_

_The way you turn me on, I can't sleep,_

_Let's run away and don't ever look back,_

_Don't ever look back!"_

Blaine couldn't provide a legible thought until Kurt had finally kicked the ball. He didn't even watch to see whether Kurt had made it - judging by the roar of the crowd, he had - too transfixed by his friend, standing there in his football outfit, slipping his helmet off and brushing the hair off his face, _smiling _like that was his job… and just making Blaine fall for him even harder.

It took a long time for Blaine to realize the game was over. Only when Kurt was leaving the field with the rest of the team did Blaine blink, watching his friend disappear before directing his attention to the grass below. He was dimly aware of the rest of the crowd slowly dispersing until only girlfriends of football players were waiting. He got a few curious looks, but couldn't bring himself to look back, still completely overwhelmed with thoughts of Kurt.

_Why would he choose that song? _Blaine mused, trying and failing not to think too much into it. After all, Kurt didn't know he was there, so it wasn't done as any kind of inside joke. Which meant that the song had to have a particular significance to Kurt… that Kurt had danced to that song because it meant something to him.

Blaine's thoughts drifted back to the week before Regionals - his big plan to sing the duet with Kurt, choosing a song that would be just emotional enough and then discussing exactly _why _he wanted to sing that song. But all of his plans had fallen over, and Blaine was too afraid to try and make others. Not when Kurt was so dejected at not getting the duet and things were so _tense _and Blaine hadn't known the cause of the tension. HIs biggest fear had been that Kurt had found out his intentions and didn't feel the same, and Blaine couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

But now that he knew that there was a chance - no matter how small - Blaine couldn't let this go. His original intention had been to slip out while Kurt was getting changed and pretend he hadn't seen anything until their friendship was on a stronger foothold. But now… now he couldn't.

So he waited. The rest of the football team made their way out in drips and drabs, meeting up with girlfriends and heading off for the night. The AV team packed up and left, but the field lights were still on. And still Blaine waited.

_Of course Kurt would take the longest, _he mused, smiling fondly as he removed the baseball cap and oversized jacket, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. There was no point in hiding anymore.

And then, finally, there was Kurt. Blaine stayed in his seat, dead centre of the stands, and continued to wait. Kurt walked slowly into the middle of the field, staring down at the ground until he reached the centre. Then he tipped his head back, staring up into the night sky. And under the lights of the field, he looked free and relaxed and _beautiful._

Kurt spun in a slow circle, still staring up at the sky before lowering his eyes. And Blaine could see it in his eyes the second he realized that Blaine was there. A quiet "oh," came across the field, and then his head dropped. Blaine stood, making his way down the stairs. His footsteps echoed around the silent field, but Kurt still refused to move. Blaine finally stopped right in front of him, waiting patiently. After all, he had waited this long.

"How did you find out?" Kurt asked quietly, still not raising his head. His voice was tinged with the shyness Blaine remembered from the first time they had met, and Blaine knew he was embarrassed about what Blaine had just seen. So now it was Blaine's job to make it clear that Kurt didn't have a need to be shy at all.

"You forget you're talking to a football enthusiast. Your.. ah, _innuendo_," Kurt's blush doubled at that, "made more sense once I saw on the McKinley page that the kicker was out of action. The question is, why didn't you tell me?" He reached out gently, taking Kurt's chin in his fingers and tilting his head up. Kurt still refused to make eye contact and it just about broke Blaine's heart. "Did you think I'd laugh?" he asked quietly, trying to keep his own apprehension out of his voice. "Make fun of you?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. It - it's not stereotypically _me _after all, and I'm not at my most fashionable and..." Kurt trailed off but Blaine stayed silent until he sighed and continued. "I suppose I'm not the stereotypical footballer. I'm not well built or muscly or strong -"

"Stop right there." Blaine honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kurt was self conscious about his _body_? "Kurt…" his mouth worked for a second before he finally got it out. "You're _gorgeous."_

Kurt froze and Blaine could feel him attempting to look away again. "No, listen to me, please. You have nothing to be ashamed of here, Kurt." His thumb unconsciously stroked a pattern along Kurt's jaw as he tried to find the words. "You - yes, you weren't running around out there in your designer outfits, but you are _so _much more than your clothes. You're not built like a footballer, and frankly that's a good thing. You're a _dancer_, a singer… you're _Kurt_. You're Kurt Hummel and you should never be shy about being yourself, and being _every _part of yourself. This is you just as much as your voice."

"And… and you like that?"

Blaine knew perfectly well what Kurt was asking. It was time to stop the games, the beating around the bush, the avoiding of the subject that they both so desperately wanted to talk about. _Do I like Kurt? _"Yes," he murmured, his thumb tracing along Kurt's jaw again, slowly and softly. "I do."

Kurt reached towards Blaine, taking the ends of his scarf in his hands and running his fingers through them for a moment. "Good. Because I like you too." And then with a sudden certainty, Kurt tugged on the scarf, pulling Blaine towards him so their lips crashed together.

Blaine's other hand was against Kurt's face, pulling him closer and kissing him with urgency, knowing he could have been doing this for _weeks_ but his own damn fears had stopped him. There was no hesitance, no shyness, no fears anymore. They were both certain - this was what they wanted.

They broke the kiss slowly, staring at each other. Kurt's hands were still looped in Blaine's scarf and Blaine took one end off him, unwrapping it from his neck to drape around Kurt's. "It looks better on you," he murmured before taking the ends and mimicking Kurt's gesture to pull him in for another kiss.

Kurt broke away regretfully. "Dad's waiting on me at home and Finn will be wondering what's taking so long. Come over for coffee?"

"I'd love to."

Kurt took his hand, leading him across the field. Blaine squeezed lightly, rubbing his thumb along the back of Kurt's hand and wondering how, after the amazing kisses they had just shared, something as simple as holding Kurt's hand could make him feel so _connected_ to this boy. "So," Kurt asked, turning to look at him out the corner of his eye, "what did you think of the game?"

"You were so hot out there," Blaine found himself babbling out before he could stop it. Immediately he pulled his hand out of Kurt's grip and covered his mouth in horror, _too soon, you'll scare him away…_

Kurt laughed, light and free, and tugged the hand away gently. "Football kink, huh? Wait until you see me in my Cheerios outfit, I was considering joining the cheer squad again actually."

And as Kurt walked away, the field lights chose that moment to shut off, leaving a gobsmacked Blaine standing in the dark, with just two words floating around his head.

_Hot damn._

* * *

><p><strong>So I have to explain the 'hot damn' comment. I was Tumbling last night and I came across photos of Chris on what I assume was the set of <em>Struck by Lightning <em>and it was the ones where he's covered in dirt and sweaty and just wearing a singlet and ... my brain just melted. So I sent it to Angela this morning while I worked on this and I was just at the end when I got her reply which was something along the lines of ... _HOT DAMN! _So I couldn't resist. And we spent about ten minutes going nuts over him so... yeah. **

**Pass?**


	9. Nine

**Oh hey, guess what? I got a call early this morning (that woke me up) from the place I'd been offered a second interview at. The interview was for two hours later. So I went and they said they'd let me know ASAP. Well, ASAP was this afternoon and I'm now a night shift worker, minimum three nights a week I'll be doing midnight until 8 in the morning shifts. That's going to be quite the adjustment to get used to!**

**And I have my Glee tickets for tomorrow night! =D**

**(If you read _Kiss_, you just got the same authors note. I do apologize)**

**Now this one, I looked at and straight away knew what I was going to do =D then I sent it to my beta and she immediately had her own idea of what to do and we were on totally different wavelengths. So then we sang a bit of **_**Different As Can Be**_**, and then I wrote this.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 9: A DVD, A sleeping bag, A mask and confusion.<strong>_

"Blaine, we have a serious situation."

Blaine was on his feet immediately, discarding his copy of _Deathly Hallows_ with only a small ounce of regret. "What's the problem?" As Floor Monitor, Blaine was always called in to deal with situations, usually younger students fighting. But Wes had never looked so panicked before and… _impressed?_

"One of the students has snuck girls in."

Blaine froze. "_Girls?_ As in, more than _one _girl?"

Wes nodded, and Blaine understood his shock. The strict policies at Dalton meant that all girls had to leave by 7pm, but of course many boys tried to keep their girlfriends or sneak them in for the night. To date, only one had succeeded, but he had been caught when the girl broke up with him rather dramatically at 2 in the morning and stormed out. For someone to have girls, _plural_, in their room at 11pm… Blaine couldn't hide the fact that he was slightly impressed too. But of course he had to do something about it. "Who is it?"

And then Wes started looking shifty. "I - um, it's a little awkward…"

"It's David, isn't it?" Blaine couldn't help but shudder at the thought. Considering Wes was David's roommate, he and Melanie had to be getting up to something seriously inappropriate for Wes to tell on him. But Wes had said _girls_…

"No, actually…" Wes hesitated again before closing his eyes and blurting it out. "It's Kurt."

_What?_

"Kurt has… girls in his room?" Blaine felt his brow furrow in confusion. Kurt had never been a rule breaker, so for him to so flagrantly break the rules to have _girls _over for all things… well, Blaine was confused. Unless… _is Kurt bisexual? _

Pushing past Wes, Blaine quickly made his way down the hall to Kurt's room. Both boys had their own rooms - Blaine as Floor Monitor, Kurt as a mid term transfer. So Blaine figured Kurt and the girls must have been doing something particularly loud to alert Wes's attention from the next room… Blaine didn't _want _to think about that. So steeling up his nerves and trying not to think about what would happen if Kurt was fooling around with girls in there - and what it would mean for Blaine's heart - Blaine knocked on the door. "Kurt?"

There was the sound of a muffled whisper, then Kurt called back. "Blaine? What's up?"

"Can you come out here for a minute, please?"

After a few seconds, the door opened just enough to emit Kurt who slipped outside, shutting the door behind him. "What can I do for you? You've got your official 'Floor Monitor' voice on, did something happen?"

Kurt's innocent face was so perfect that Blaine easily would have bought it if he hadn't already known. "Kurt, I'm going to need to inspect your room."

Kurt folded his arms. "That's not in your jurisdiction."

"It is if I receive a complaint or a tip off that you have illegal contraband."

And that did it. Kurt's eyes widened and he turned to glare at Wes who was attempting to sneak back into his room. "I break _one _rule and everybody's out to get me!" Throwing his hands up in frustration, he turned and opened the door. "Come on in then. Girls, I'm afraid we've been caught."

"Oh for goodness sake!" Rachel dropped the bottle she had been opening, glaring fiercely at Blaine. "Nothing goes my way anymore!"

"It's not all about _you_, Rachel!" Quinn was clearly attempting to look angry but the face mask coating her face made it hard to speak, let alone show emotion. "You are so _selfish_ sometimes."

Kurt sighed. "Girls, we're not here to fight, remember." He turned back to Blaine, looking tired. "They've been arguing non-stop and with Regionals coming up, I wanted the air to be cleared. I couldn't get out there for a sleepover so I snuck them in while everybody else was at dinner."

"And we would've gotten away with it if Rachel hadn't decided to sing her feelings and your Council guy came along," Tina commented idly from the corner where she was painting Mercedes's toenails. Mercedes nodded her agreement, also wearing a face mask.

Blaine was still in shock that Kurt had snuck _four _girls into his room hours ago without anybody noticing. But his relief was the most prominent emotion that Kurt had brought the girls in for a sleepover of the most innocent kind, and nothing more than that.

"So, I guess you're going to kick us out now." Rachel sighed, looking dejected. "It was fun, and I actually thought we were making some ground considering Quinn actually started talking to me a little bit there without telling me how much she wanted to punch me."

Quinn opened her mouth to retort, then stopped. "I think you're right." The rest of the girls turned to her in amazement. "I'm not saying I'm ready to hang out with her or anything, but I can tolerate her presence."

Kurt took Blaine's arm and pulled him back out into the hallway. "Okay, look, I know you're a stickler for the rules, but you have to understand what kind of progress they're making in there. Plus, I haven't seen the girls in _forever _and we used to do sleepovers like this all the time…"

And there was something else to confuse Blaine - why didn't Kurt just _tell _him what was going on? Yes, Blaine was strict about enforcing the rules, but he knew every rule had a time to be broken and this certainly counted. So there was only one thing he could do now. "They can stay, but you need to keep it quiet and get them out first thing tomorrow morning, alright?"

Suddenly his arms were filled with a grateful Kurt. "Thank you, thank you," he said before pulling away quickly, blushing. Blaine frowned, not sure what had caused that, before Kurt was speaking again. "You know, if you want to join us, you're more than welcome. We're about to watch _The Rocky Horror Picture Show._"

Blaine blinked a couple of times, not sure he had heard right. "You… you're watching _Rocky Horror_?"

"We performed it just before I transferred here. I didn't tell you?" Blaine shook his head numbly. "Oh, okay. Well we were going to actually put the show on for the public but in the end Schue realized it was a little too risque so we just performed it for ourselves." And now Blaine _couldn't_ just walk away. Without a word he followed Kurt back into the room where the girls were wiping off face masks. "Ladies, Blaine is going to join us for the night."

Quinn looked up, frowning lightly. "I've always wondered how that works here - is Blaine allowed to stay over the night in your room or do they have policies against couples doing that?"

_Woah. Couples?_

"Blaine and I aren't dating, Quinn," Kurt said nonchalantly, heading over to the television set in the corner of his room and digging through his DVD collection. "But Nick and Jeff occasionally try to do sleepovers, until Mr. Floor Monitor over there puts a stop to it."

Blaine managed to pull himself out his fantasy induced haze in a world where he and Kurt _were _dating to notice the eyes on him. "Yes, I'm the Floor Monitor, and Dalton rules dictate that known same sex couples can't sleep in the same room, just the same as not letting girls in."

"But -" Rachel began, only to be interrupted.

"But now that I'm here, Wes will have snuck down to Jeff's room and let him know. I can guarantee Nick's in there right now, and I can't do anything about it because I've let you ladies stay." Blaine shrugged. "Anyway, what's this about _Rocky Horror_?"

And that was the right move, as every single pair of eyes lit up. Rachel was already talking his ear off about their performance - or namely, _her _performance - as Kurt pushed the bed out of the way and helped the girls set up sleeping bags. Blaine nodded politely to Rachel and watched as the group set up with ease, something they were clearly used to doing. Kurt glanced over in his direction then pulled his blanket off the bed, setting it up next to his own sleeping bag, clearly for Blaine to sleep on.

"Rachel, how about we just watch the movie, okay?" Tina finally interrupted, tugging the brunette onto her sleeping bag which had been placed at the other end of the room to Quinn, who was on the other side of Kurt.

Of course there was no _just _watching a movie with this lot, and Blaine got the shock of his life when Riff Raff entered the stage and all the girls catcalled and turned to Kurt. "You know, you rocked that bald look better than he can," Mercedes said thoughtfully.

"_You _played Riff Raff?"

Kurt nodded, looking almost proud. "It's a surprise, I know. But you'll see when we get to _Time Warp_."

Well, of course that distracted Blaine from the rest of the movie. Not that he was the only one, the girls continually talked about the scenes they had acted, the cuts and edits that had been done and everybody was laughing uproariously about someone called Carl. And the whole time, Blaine was hyper aware of Kurt lying next to him, their arms so close that they were almost touching, and his mind kept running the words around in his head - _Blaine and I aren't dating…_

Why did Kurt say it so casually? Was it really not a big deal at all to Kurt that they weren't dating, he really had no interest in Blaine at all? Sometimes Blaine felt like Kurt _was _interested, with the light touches and duets and coffee dates… but other times, Kurt was aloof, independent, and Blaine didn't have the courage to admit his feelings. Not when he was too confused about whether Kurt felt the same.

Quinn had stolen the remote and was fast-forwarding through one of the more risque scenes, stopping when Kurt squealed and grabbed the remote. "Time Warp!"

And that was the end of Blaine's conscious thought, because Kurt had just begun to _sing along_, his voice lower than Blaine ever remembered hearing him sing, and it sent a shiver right down Blaine's spine. Quinn's voice joined his and Blaine allowed himself a smile, thinking of the girl who was always so proper doing something like _Rocky Horror. _And then the whole group was singing, thankfully without the dancing. Blaine _knew _he wouldn't be able to handle Kurt doing a _pelvic thrust_ without doing something embarrassing like confessing his undying attraction for him.

Finally the movie ended, Kurt looking more relaxed than Blaine had seen him in a long time. "So, second movie or gossip?"

"Sleep?" Tina asked, burying her head into her pillow. Quinn seemed to be in agreement. "It's been a long week."

Kurt rolled his eyes, jumping to his feet to hit the lights. Blaine heard two sighs of contentment and the sound of Rachel beginning to whisper to Mercedes about something as Kurt made his way back. There was a pause, then Kurt was kneeling right in front of Blaine, feeling around for something. "I don't want to land on you accidentally," Kurt murmured and _wow_, that brought up images Blaine shouldn't have been thinking about.

"I'm here," Blaine whispered, reaching out to to touch the hand that was sweeping around. Kurt quickly slotted himself into his sleeping bag, resting on his side facing Blaine, and Blaine realized that their hands were still linked.

"So what do you think of our girly night?"

And Blaine didn't know what possessed him to say it - perhaps the darkness of the room or Kurt's hand still twined in his. But nonetheless, it came out. "Why did you hide it from me?"

Kurt paused. "Because I knew you'd throw them out," he said slowly, as if it was obvious. "You're the Floor Monitor."

"You could have asked me. You know we're cl- we're friends."

There was a moment of silence, then Kurt sighed lightly. "We are close," he said and Blaine knew his slip had been caught. "But you're closer to the rulebook."

And _that _stung. "You honestly think I care more about the rules than about _you_ and what you need? Not a chance, Kurt. Not ever." Blaine knew he probably sounded a little too passionate and his voice had risen just above a whisper, but he _needed _Kurt to know this. Nothing meant more to him than Kurt.

It seemed Kurt had picked up on that, but perhaps Kurt had figured out more. "So when Quinn talked about us dating," Blaine's breath hitched noticeably, "you… reacted like that, yes. Why?"

Kurt's tone made it clear that he knew what was going on and the fact that he was asking gave Blaine a moment of hope. "Because the idea… isn't as far out of my mind as it could be."

When Kurt finally replied, Blaine almost jumped because his voice was a _lot _closer than it had been a few seconds ago. "Nor mine."

And then a pair of lips were pressing gently against his and Blaine knew he was dreaming. Considering he was lying in bed, that theory was definitely high up on the list and while he regretted figuring it out so early, he was going to make the most of it, kissing Kurt back softly and just hoping he didn't wake up too soon…

Rachel giggled loudly before Mercedes shushed her and Kurt pulled away regretfully from a stunned Blaine who had just realized this _was real_. Or it had been real until Kurt had pulled away… so Blaine needed to change that. He reached out carefully until he found Kurt's cheek, then traced around to the back of his neck and pulled him in gently to kiss him again.

The rest of the girls eventually drifted off to sleep, but the two boys didn't follow suit for quite some time.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning brought a tired Kurt and Blaine sneaking four girls out of the boarders block and into Rachel's car. Both boys received hugs from all of the girls and a knowing look from Mercedes was directed at Blaine - he knew he could expect a talk from her a little later, once they had all gotten some sleep that was.<p>

As the car pulled away, Kurt leaned into his side tiredly and Blaine wrapped an arm around him. "Thank you for letting them stay," he murmured.

"My pleasure. It was a wonderful night."

Kurt tilted his head up and Blaine obligingly kissed him, smiling into his mouth. "It was," he murmured. "You need to break the rules more often."

And as Kurt rested his head against his shoulder again, Blaine couldn't help but agree. _Yes, I think I do._

* * *

><p><strong>So, can anybody tell which Season Two episode I watched for the first time today? ;)<strong>

**Pass?**


	10. Ten

**GLEE MOVIE!**

**My sister and I just got back from it. I can't even put it into words. Just... Warblers... Kurt... River Deep Mountain High... Valerie... Not enough Klaine skit... Chris Colfer twirling a microphone... So. Much. Awesome. I. Can't. Even. Of course there were a lot of things I could see where there should have been improvements or certain people/moments featured more ** but overall, totally worth it =D**

**I'm also absolutely painting my 3D glasses pink and keeping them ;)**

**I so wanted to do a future fic for this one, but it's Saturday which means family time. It's also my last weekend where I'll be conscious during the day time so I thought I'd better make the most of it. Plus… movie, you know ;) this ended up going much longer than anticipated anyway.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 10: A calendar, an iPod, An unwanted phone call and tiredness<strong>_

"I now call this emergency Warbler meeting to order."

Wes rapped his gavel and Kurt leaned forward quizzically. This was his first emergency Warbler meeting and he was curious what exactly warranted an emergency with this group of people. After all, New Directions called emergency meetings pretty much every week over trivial things, but the Warblers seemed a lot less… unflappable.

"It's about Blaine," David said, shuffling a few pieces of paper on the desk in front of him. Kurt looked around, suddenly realizing that Blaine wasn't there. _What kind of emergency could involve Blaine… oh no, has something happened to him? _Kurt's blood ran cold as he waited for the words to come from David that he'd been in a car crash, some of his old bullies had gotten him, he was sick… "We're calling an intervention."

_Intervention? _There was a murmur around the room, then Nick raised his hand. "With all due respect, the last time we called an intervention, it didn't go too well."

"What happened the last time?" Kurt couldn't help but ask.

Wes sighed. "Joseph pulled out of the Warblers, apparently he felt threatened when we all showed up at his door and told him his girlfriend was detrimental to his health, schoolwork and Warbling. Which is why we're doing things differently this time."

Kurt raised his hand, standing as he did so. "What exactly is wrong with Blaine that we need to call an intervention for? He seems fine to me." Jeff sniggered and Kurt shot the blonde a glare as he sat down. Of course the boy knew that Kurt was somewhat crushing on Blaine, but the rest of the group didn't need to know and Kurt wanted to keep it that way.

"I'm glad you asked," Thad spoke up. "For those who don't know, I'm Blaine's roommate. And for those of you who have been living under a rock, Blaine is a very accommodating person. He is always willing to help others and does pretty much whatever he's asked to do. And that, my friends, is his downfall."

Kurt frowned in confusion. He wasn't the only one. "But… why?" Ethan asked. "I mean, he does _charity work_. That's a good thing. I thought as long as he showed up to Warbler rehearsals and kept up with his schoolwork, it was fine to do other extracurriculars?"

"It is, but not when it affects his health." David slipped a photo out from the stack of papers and held it up as Thad continued speaking. "This is Blaine's wall calendar. If you can't read it, don't worry; I can't either when it's in front of me."

Kurt squinted at the photo, trying to make out the words. Every single little box was filled, most with two or three different things that were overlapping. "How does he live like that?" Cameron called out incredulously. "Mine has like, two things on it!"

"That's the problem," Thad said, gesturing for David to hand around the photo. "He's so busy during the day that he has to study at night. I'd say Blaine has averaged around three hours of sleep every night for the past two weeks and it's finally taking its toll." Kurt winced at the thought, he himself needed eight hours every night to be functional. _How has Blaine been acting normal for so long? And how have I not noticed?_

Kurt pushed away his guilt as Thad continued. "He's sleeping right now, thank goodness, otherwise I was going to either knock him out with the gavel or buy some strong sleeping pills." Kurt didn't miss the way Wes's hold tightened on his gavel almost protectively. "Something has to be done, but like Wes said, we can't all confront him. We just need one person." And then, inexplicably, Thad's eyes moved to Kurt. "Someone who gets along with Blaine well, spends a lot of time with him… someone who _relates _to him."

The rest of the Warblers turned to Kurt who stared around in amazement. "Me? Am I really closer to him than the rest of you?"

"You are," Wes said, smiling. Kurt couldn't understand why that made him so happy considering Blaine had always called Wes and David his best friends. "We have a few ideas of what you could do, but I think we might leave the ball in your court. And the reason we called everyone else here is so they can offer assistance if necessary, as well as trying to ease the load on Blaine without making it obvious. Andrew, Luke, take some of his Floor Monitor shifts if you can. If you have classes with him, make sure he goes to lunch. Basically just bide time until Kurt can do whatever he's going to do."

The photo was handed over to Kurt who examined it closely before deciding he needed to look at the real thing. Wes dismissed the meeting and Kurt immediately made his way to the Council desk. "Thad, I'm going to need access to your room."

"I thought so. Now?" Kurt nodded and Thad stood, shuffling the photos together and leading Kurt out of the room. "Sorry to throw this at you all of a sudden," he said as they walked, "but it's only really become an issue lately. He got pretty sick last year because he refused to take a day off and we can't afford a repeat of that."

Kurt frowned. "What, the _Warblers _can't afford to lose their soloist?"

"No, as his friends, we can't stand to see him that way." Thad sighed. "Kurt, I know how we come off sometimes, but we really do care about each other as a group. We know what Blaine went through at his old school and we do our best to protect him, not just from others but from himself. And we don't have details but we know you've been through something at your school and we do our best to help you out, even if we don't show it. You should have seen Wes cracking down on people slamming locker doors in your first few weeks."

_Wow… _Kurt felt unexpected tears of gratitude prickle at the corners of his eyes. "Thanks, Thad. I - I didn't know."

"We didn't want to make it obvious or seem like we were mollycoddling you. But we have your back and we've especially got Blaine's." Thad's smile turned devilish. "And when you two get together, it'll be a lot easier to protect you both."

Kurt blinked. "I - what? We… Blaine doesn't like me like that…"

Thad just smirked. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say." They stopped outside the door and Thad inserted his key, turning it slowly as to not make any noise. "Do you want me to come in with you?" he murmured softly.

"Probably a good idea. If he wakes up, we can say you were giving me some notes for class or something."

Thad raised an eyebrow. "Plans on the fly. We definitely picked the right guy for the job."

Kurt resisted the urge to laugh as Thad slowly opened the door, but that was wiped away when he saw Blaine. The boy was still fast asleep, iPod in his ears, and Kurt took a moment to survey him. _He looks exhausted… how did I not see it?_

"It's not your fault you didn't notice," Thad whispered. "Nobody did. I thought he was doing fine until he passed out last night."

Kurt turned furious and panicked eyes on the boy. "Why didn't you mention that _before_," he hissed, keeping one eye on the sleeping boy in case he woke up. "Did he hit his head? What if he has a concussion, you shouldn't be letting him sleep if he's concussed!"

"Kurt, relax." Thad took his arm gently. "He came into the room pale as anything, I noticed straight away, got to him in time to catch him and he was only out for a few minutes. He didn't hit his head and I made him sleep it off afterwards. Don't worry, I've been taking care of him the best I can."

Kurt nodded, feeling his anger abate. "Sorry," he whispered. "I'm just… I don't like seeing him like this."

"Neither do I. Which is why we need to intervene." Thad crossed the room to where their wall calendars were hanging side-by-side. "Here, this one is Blaine's."

Even if Thad hadn't told him, Kurt would have been able to figure it out. Thad's calendar was neat and, while there was at least one event every day, it wasn't overcrowded. The one next to it, however, had no room left to write on. The margins were filled with arrows pointing to dates, different colors overlapped each other and to put it simply, it was a mess. Quite like Blaine's life, it seemed. _And he still managed to make time for coffee with me,_ Kurt realized, his fingers tracing over the small entry at the bottom of last Wednesday: _**Coffee with Kurt.**_

Something about seeing his name up there gave Kurt an idea. They were just about at the end of the month, so Kurt flipped the page to see the a few days filled up but significantly emptier days all up. On the second, Kurt noticed there was only Warbler practice and a study group. "Thad," Kurt whispered, beckoning the boy over. "This Warbler practice, is it for anything important?"

"Not unless anything comes up in the next four days, no. Why?"

Kurt took a deep breath, steeling himself for the words he knew nobody had dared to tell a Council member before. "You need to cancel it."

Thad stared at him for a few seconds. "You want me to go and tell Wes to cancel a meeting?"

"Do you want Blaine to get sick again?" Thad shook his head. "Then get Wes on the phone and get that meeting cancelled now." Thad gave him one more dubious look before slipping out into the hallway. Now that he was gone, Kurt turned to take another look at Blaine, smiling fondly as he heard _Teenage Dream _coming faintly out of his headphones. Kurt knew Blaine wasn't as strong as he always appeared but he had never been able to find a way to break down the walls or point out a flaw, and now he had his chance. Richard was in Blaine's study group, Kurt would just tell him that Blaine wouldn't be attending. As long as Wes would allow one of his precious meetings to be cancelled, Kurt could make this work.

Thad poked his head back in the door and nodded to Kurt. Grinning, Kurt grabbed a permanent marker from Blaine's desk and flipped back to the following month. In big block letters he wrote **KURT **across the square and crossed out Blaine's other commitments. "Don't let him schedule anything for that date," he whispered to Thad who was looking at the square with a knowing smile.

"What are you going to do?"

Kurt looked at Blaine one more time who was beginning to get restless, probably about to wake. "I have a plan," he whispered before slipping past Thad and leaving the room.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the first of the month that Blaine started looking at him strange, but since the plan was going into effect the next day, Kurt didn't care. He simply treated Blaine the same as he always had and ignored the suspicious looks coming his way. On Thursdays they didn't have any classes together and there was no Warbler rehearsal that afternoon - plus, Blaine had three commitments that afternoon so Kurt knew he wouldn't be seeing him.<p>

As Friday dawned, Kurt was up bright and early. He knew Blaine got up at 7 every morning and got ready so he needed to be earlier. He and Thad had already made arrangements, so when Kurt arrived at 7:05, dressed in casual clothes, to find Blaine staring at his empty wardrobe, he wasn't surprised.

"Something wrong?" he asked nonchalantly, hanging off the doorframe.

Blaine spun to face him, looking slightly panicked. "Kurt, something's happened to all of my unif-" He paused, taking in the look on Kurt's face. "You did this."

"I did," Kurt agreed. "Now I know Thad's currently hiding out in the bathroom so let's let him out and then I'll explain what's going to happen." Thad opened the door, giving them both a sheepish look and grabbed his bag, disappearing out of the room. "Alright, here's the deal. The Warblers called an intervention about you."

"They _what_?"

Kurt held up his hands as Blaine looked ready to explode. "Hey, they were perfectly entitled to. They called it because of this." Digging in his bag, he pulled out the page that Blaine had ripped off his calendar from the previous month - Thad had grabbed it for him. "See this? This is called _overworked_. You're tired all the time because you take on too many things."

"I'm fi-"

"Blaine, you _passed out_ the other day. That's not fine. When were you going to tell me about that, by the way?" Blaine bit his lip which Kurt took as his answer. "You're my _friend_, Blaine. You always told me to come to you if I was struggling, so why don't you come to me?"

Blaine sighed. "I've always been able to handle it. I sign up for a lot of things, yes, but I enjoy doing them. Sometimes it gets a bit much and I get a bit worn out, but I'm seventeen, Kurt. I can take care of myself."

"Of course you can," Kurt said calmly. "You just choose not to. So someone had to step in and do it for you." Standing, he walked over to the wall calendar where his name was written and tapped it. "That would be me. You've got an hour to get dressed and ready to go, casual attire. Bring those hideous pink sunglasses of yours." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving a slightly stunned Blaine sitting on the bed.

Thad was, of course, waiting down the hall. "Are you taking him off campus? Because you do know you have classes, right?"

Kurt smirked. "Taken care of. Blaine Anderson has been called in sick - and really, I think the staff are more grateful than anything because they've noticed too. And Kurt Hummel has gone home for family reasons and will be back on Monday."

"Blaine's I understand, but you would have had to have a family member call in for you."

Kurt nodded. "Finn, my step-brother. He and Blaine are actually pretty good friends and when I explained the situation, he was happy to cover for me." Thad looked suitably impressed and Kurt resisted the urge to preen - he _was _a good planner, after all. "So we'll just wait until classes are in and then disappear."

"Where to?" Wes's voice from behind him made Kurt jump and he spun quickly, preparing for a lecture. But to his surprise, Wes was smiling. "I don't approve of people skipping class without a good reason, Kurt. But this isa good reason. So where are you taking him?"

Kurt let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to rip shreds out of me," he admitted sheepishly to the laughter of the other two. "And I've got a place in mind. Just somewhere that he'll have a chance to relax."

Wes and Thad swapped a glance. "You're good for him, you know that?" Wes said softly. "Maybe you should consider acting on those feelings you have."

"I don't have feelings for Blaine," Kurt said on reflex. Wes simply rolled his eyes in response and usually Kurt would keep arguing the point, but for some reason he was sick of keeping the lie up. "Okay, fine, I do. But he doesn't."

Thad sighed. "He wouldn't believe it when I told him either," he said to Wes who shook his head pityingly. "Hopefully they sort it out themselves. Have a good day, Kurt."

The two boys headed down the hall to breakfast, leaving Kurt feeling slightly shell shocked. _Could they be right? Could Blaine like me? _Well, he had half an hour to think about it, so Kurt sat down against the wall and began to think. All of the little signs he hadn't allowed himself to think too much about at the time were now slotting together to paint a bigger picture, one that he hadn't dared to dream of before. Blaine flirted with him a _lot_, the Warbler boys all said he was closer to Kurt than anybody else. And Kurt knew if anybody else had pulled a stunt like he had before, Blaine would blow them off and go to class. Instead, he was trusting Kurt and doing what he said.

And finally it just got to the point where Kurt couldn't avoid it. _Blaine Anderson might like me._

Well, that certainly put a different spin on things. Kurt had planned for Blaine to just have the chance to relax, sleep, think about things that weren't school related and make the most of having a day off. But now Kurt began to wonder whether he couldn't bring up this particular topic and get Blaine's thoughts on it all. Because if he _did _feel the same way… well, Kurt wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to become Blaine's boyfriend any time soon. And what was more relaxing than finding out the person you like likes you back?

But he was getting ahead of himself now. There was still a 50/50 chance that Blaine didn't like him back, and that wasn't what the day was about after all. Today was completely about Blaine.

Pulling out his phone, Kurt opened his Pocket God app and resumed his battle. He had just about defeated the Ant God - after _seven_ attempts - when the door opened, emitting Blaine who looked quite surprised at Kurt sitting on the floor. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"

"No, it's all good." Kurt pocketed his phone and jumped to his feet. "I think everybody should be in class by now, so let's go."

Kurt could already see the apprehension in Blaine's eyes. "Kurt, I don't want to cut class, my GPA -"

"Is perfect," Kurt interrupted. "You've been called in sick, so you kind of have no choice."

"Where are we going?"

Kurt allowed himself a smirk. "You'll see." Reaching over, he took Blaine's hand. "Come on," he said before winking. "I know a short cut."

And if that wasn't pushing the flirting line, Kurt was clearly doing his job wrong. It seemed to work on Blaine who actually _blushed_ as they headed down the hall and Kurt smiled to himself. It didn't matter that his shortcut wasn't really a shortcut at all, in fact Kurt wasn't sure Blaine even remembered that they had walked down to the parking lot until Kurt unlocked his car. "Wait, how long are we going to be gone? There's Warbler rehearsal this afternoon and I have my study group."

"Didn't you see the calendar?" Kurt asked innocently. "All of those things have been cancelled."

He nearly had to drive off without Blaine who took almost a minute to recover from that statement and get in the car. "You… you got Wes to _cancel _Warbler rehearsal? What kind of deity are you?"

"The best kind, of course." Kurt pulled out of the car park and headed down a familiar road - at least to him, considering he had driven out this way yesterday afternoon just to make sure he had it right. Blaine was looking around, clearly confused as to where they were going, but he wouldn't have to wait long. _Google Maps is a wonderful tool_, Kurt thought to himself, remembering how he had stumbled across the place they were going quite by accident.

It was only a ten minute drive, which was the beauty of it, because Kurt had more than just a one day plan for this place. Blaine still looked lost when Kurt pulled up by a large grove of trees but obediently hopped out of the car, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes. Kurt shook his head and pushed them back up. "I want to see your eyes when we get there," he said, knowing his ambiguity was working. With that, he took Blaine's hand again and led him past the trees, turning his head just in time to catch the widening of Blaine's eyes when he saw it.

When Kurt had seen the screenshot of the place on Google Maps, he was convinced someone had put the wrong photo there. After all, how could a piece of _paradise _have ended up in Westerville and not been known about before now. Yet, there it was - a small body of water, a grassy bank, trees and absolutely nothing else. Exactly what Blaine needed right now and, judging by the look on his face, exactly what he wanted. "How…?"

"I'm amazing. But you already knew that." Kurt dropped his bag and collapsed on the grass, tucking his arms behind his head and smiling up at Blaine. "You know you want to."

It took less than a second for Blaine to follow suit, sighing happily as he put his sunglasses on. "I should feel guilty for skipping class… why don't I?"

"Because somewhere deep down you know you need this. Everybody needs a day off, Blaine." Kurt turned his head slightly as he rummaged in his bag for his own sunglasses. "You've been walking around like a zombie the past few days and we hate seeing it."

"We?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "The rest of the Warblers. They're the ones who put me up to this and I'm glad they did. You took care of me when I needed it, now it's my turn to take care of you." And with that, he pulled on his sunglasses and turned to look up at the sky, closing his eyes. He could sense Blaine watching him for a few moments before following suit and his earlier suspicions were all but confirmed. _There's something there, I just know it._

It only took Blaine about ten minutes to fall asleep and Kurt knew he would follow suit if he wasn't careful. And while he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in the sun next to a gorgeous guy he was crushing on, Kurt had other plans. So he stood quietly and made his way back to the car, pulling out the picnic basket he had packed earlier and the blanket. He took his time setting up, not wanting to Blaine wake up in the process. But just as he had finished, the one factor that Kurt had forgotten about decided to come in to play - Blaine's phone began to ring.

As Blaine began to stir, Kurt was already fumbling in his bag, pulling out the phone. "Who's't?" Blaine mumbled, raising his sunglasses to rub at his eyes.

Kurt checked the caller ID, not recognizing the number. As long as it wasn't one of the Warbler boys, he really didn't care who it was. "Nobody of importance," Kurt said breezily, hitting _Ignore_. "And this is going off now."

"What? No, you can't do that. What if someone needs me?"

Blaine grabbed for the phone but Kurt switched it off and tossed it in his own bag. "That's what voicemail was invented for. The world will continue to turn if you don't answer your phone for a few hours, Blaine. This is your time, and if you need anything to convince you of that, then turn around." Kurt could see the argument on the tip of Blaine's tongue but it died as he turned to see the picnic laid out behind them. "You're welcome," he said, gesturing for Blaine to follow him.

"Kurt… why did you do all this?"

Kurt shook his head. "Eat first. We'll talk after."

Together they made quick work of the food. Blaine had been skipping quite a few lunches and dinners due to his busy schedule so Kurt was glad to see him eat a proper meal for once. Once they were finished, Kurt refused to let Blaine help, instead forcing him to go and sit back down by the water. He quickly packed everything back into his car then joined his friend, staring out across the water. There was a moment of silence, then Blaine finally spoke. "Why?"

Kurt hesitated for a second, wondering how much he could say without giving things away before making what would turn out to be the best decision of his life. "Because I care about you, Blaine, a _lot_. I don't like seeing you like this, tired and stressed and thinking that you have to do everything yourself, because you don't. You can let other people in to help you out, to be there for you, to make sure you aren't taking on too many things." He reached out to take Blaine's hand without a second thought; it felt too natural to not do it. "Let us in, let _me_ in. I want to help you."

And Blaine would have to be blind and deaf to have missed it, Kurt knew. But he was done pretending he didn't have feelings - there was nothing wrong with him liking Blaine, it wasn't something he should be ashamed of or have to hide. And even if Blaine didn't feel the same, at least he would know he was cared about a lot.

Blaine hadn't moved since Kurt's declaration, still staring at him like he had just said the world was actually flat or something. "Blaine?"

"You care about me more than just a friend would."

It wasn't a question, but Kurt nodded anyway, slightly nervous. And then Blaine was closing the gap between them, kissing Kurt like he _needed _him. After a second of surprise came an overwhelming torrent of happiness and Kurt was kissing him back, his hands somehow already around Blaine's neck to pull him closer.

And, of course, Kurt's phone just chose to ring right at that very second.

"Oh, you are _kidding_ me," Kurt moaned, pulling away from Blaine and moving over to his bag. But Blaine had somehow gotten there first, pulling the phone out and swiftly rejecting the call. "Did you even check the ID?"

"It was just Mercedes. She can leave a message."

As Blaine tossed the phone back in the bag, Kurt had to concede. "That's fair enough. Today is about you, after all."

"No," Blaine murmured, pulling Kurt back into his arms. "Today is about _us_."

And once again, Kurt couldn't bring himself to argue.

* * *

><p><strong>The Pocket God app is what I'm addicted to right now. If anybody else plays, I'm up to battling the Toilet God (charming, right?) and it's beating me rather thoroughly right now.<strong>

**I also spent a lot of time looking at my own wall calendar when I was writing this. It's amazing - it was pretty much empty a week ago and now that I've got a job, it's filling up fast. Nothing on Blaine's of course! (that was more like my school diary last year!)**


	11. Eleven

**Today is my last day of 'freedom' per se. Tomorrow I have a full day of orientation which starts my six day work week (one day off for the public holiday here). So for tomorrow's chapter, I'll have four hours to get it done unless I start working on it when I get it tonight. I've loved doing this challenge but it's probably good that it's nearly over now. **

**I'm not feeling great about this one, mainly because I was pushed for time and when another better idea came up (courtesy of Angela), I didn't have time to rewrite. I think tomorrow's might be the same somehow. But I signed up for it, so I'm going to get it done!**

**By the way, when I got this **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**said the following: **_**I think I can guess what you'll use the first prompt for… then again you have been known to surprise me. **_**Well after getting that, how could I resist switching it up? ;)**

**Oh, and in case anybody hadn't picked up on it yet, I've got a thing for vulnerable!Blaine… you all knew? Great stuff ;) I know I write him a lot but again, I just write what my mind puts in front of me.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 11: A small bird, A photograph, A t-shirt and bravery<strong>_

**From Blaine: **_I need you._

Kurt stared at the text for approximately two seconds before scrambling to his feet, ignoring Jeff's questions as he disappeared out of their dorm room, running down the hall to Blaine's. He had no idea what it was about, but there was something about the text that just screamed a warning at him: _Something's wrong with your boyfriend!_

Knocking once, Kurt opened the door without waiting for an answer and froze in the doorway. Blaine was balled up with his knees against his chest and his head buried. Even from the doorway, Kurt could see his shoulders shaking, and a piece of paper was clutched in his hand. It didn't take a genius to figure it out - Blaine had gotten a letter of some kind and the contents had clearly upset him a lot. And for a second, Kurt didn't know what to do because he had never seen Blaine _crying _before. But instinct kicked in and he was across the room, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

That was all it took for Blaine to break down completely, clutching at Kurt like he was a lifeline and burying his head in his shoulder. Feeling utterly helpless, Kurt just stroked his back and held him tight, waiting until Blaine could tell him what was wrong.

It took a long time but finally Blaine pulled away, his eyes wet and bloodshot. "I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly. "I just… I couldn't. And I needed you."

"And I'm always here when you need me. Don't be sorry." Kurt gently ran his fingers through Blaine's hair at the nape of his neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Instead of answering, Blaine stood, pulling away from Kurt's touch and walking over to his closet. After a few minutes of digging around the bottom of it - Kurt had always told him the mess of a closet he had would come back to bite him - Blaine pulled out a box and returned to the bed, curling back into Kurt's side. "This is stuff I kept from Westerville High," he said before opening the box.

Kurt was immediately on edge. He knew Blaine had gone through a lot at his old school - public outing, humiliation, losing all of his friends, not to mention the physical bullying as well - so any memories in this box were clearly going to be painful ones. But he didn't expect the smile on Blaine's face as he pulled out a framed photo, handing it to Kurt. "Who is it?" he asked, staring down at a clearly younger Blaine with his arm around a redhead girl with braces.

"Her name is Anna, and she was my best friend from the first day of elementary school right through until… well. You know… until I was outed." Blaine sighed and Kurt drew him closer, knowing he couldn't protect his boyfriend from the memories but would certainly try his best. "After that she didn't want to know me - she was in the popular group, cheerleader and all that, and because they thought I was…" Blaine waved a hand and Kurt nodded, understanding. "She had to be the same or lose her popularity. Clearly we know what was more important."

Blaine's voice was tinged with anger, but overwhelmingly regretful. "I'm so sorry," Kurt murmured. "What made you think of it now?"

"She sent me this." Blaine held out the letter, clearly giving it to Kurt to read. Kurt began to protest but Blaine shook his head. "I can't talk about it without crying, Kurt. Please."

Nodding, Kurt took the letter and smoothed it out.

_Blaine,_

_I know it's been a long time and you probably weren't expecting to hear from me. I don't blame you if you rip this up before reading it, but I had to try._

_I've had a lot of time to think about my priorities. I'm not a cheerleader anymore, I'm choosing to focus on my studies instead, and that dropped me down the popularity ladder and made me realize that what people think of me really doesn't matter. It's my friends that matter and I've realized that the only true friend I ever had was you. _

_I don't want to try and apologize via a letter, that's not fair on you. And I can understand if you don't want to, but I would love to see you and try to put things right. I'll be home all weekend - same house as usual - and I hope you'll come. If not, of course I understand. _

_Love Anna_

Blaine was crying again and Kurt knew he had been reading the letter as well. "What are you going to do?"

"I want to see her. I know it could all be a prank, but if it is then at least I can clear the air and let her know what I think of what she did." Blaine sat up, wiping his eyes. "But I don't want to go alone. Is there a chance -?"

"Of course," Kurt said immediately. "When do you want to go?" Blaine shrugged and Kurt checked his watch - 10:30am. "Now?"

Blaine's eyes widened and he looked almost panicked. "Now?" He jumped to his feet and moved across to his mirror. "I can't go looking like this!"

"Hey, it's alright." Kurt joined him, wrapping arms around him from behind. "We've got plenty of time. Go into the bathroom and wash your face, get changed out of that uniform - I _still _don't understand how you can justify wearing it on the weekend." Blaine smiled, which had been Kurt's intention. "I'll wait here."

"You're too good to me," Blaine murmured, twisting in his arms to kiss his cheek.

Kurt shook his head, smiling. "I'm perfect for you, just like you're perfect for me. Now go and get ready." He watched as Blaine headed over to his closet, pulling out some clothes and disappearing into the bathroom before collapsing back on the bed. He had completely been playing it by ear for the past half hour, not having a clue how to make Blaine feel better. Yes, he had been through it all himself, but it was a very different story when it was his _boyfriend _so upset. This was someone he cared about - even loved if he thought about it enough - who had been hurt by someone who was supposed to be his friend. And if this girl tried anything today, Kurt was going to deal with it.

But first he had to deal with the fact that his boyfriend had just walked out of the bathroom only wearing jeans and a t-shirt. More to the point, Kurt had to deal with the fact that he had never seen Blaine in a _t-shirt _before - come to think about it, he had never seen Blaine's arms uncovered before or in something that hugged his chest, practically showing off his _body_…

Yes, this was very different to the blazer, and Kurt was _damn _determined to never let Blaine cover up his body needlessly again. Even if it meant stealing all of his sweaters and non-school jackets, because Kurt _liked _what he saw. A lot.

"Kurt?"

Kurt jerked his eyes up from Blaine's torso, hoping he hadn't been caught out. But judging by Blaine's smile, he had. "I - I'm sorry. I just…"

"It's alright," Blaine interrupted, crossing the room to join him. "You didn't see my reaction the first time you wore that v-neck of yours…" And Kurt watched as Blaine's eyes actually _glazed over_, clearly remembering the moment. _Do I really have that kind of effect on him?_ "Anyway, what I was going to say was that I'm your boyfriend and you're definitely allowed to stare at me if you want to. In fact, I quite like it."

Kurt couldn't hide his blush, but there were more important matters to deal with right now than the fact that he had just been given permission to check out his boyfriend whenever he liked. "So, are you ready to go?"

Blaine's composure suddenly dropped. "I don't know," he murmured, wrapping his arms around himself. "I thought I was but I don't know if I can do this, Kurt. She hurt me a _lot_."

"I know, honey." Kurt did a slight double take at the word but it had slipped out far too naturally to dwell upon. Another thing for later. "But remember what you told me when we talked about facing up to the bullies? _Courage_. You know you need to be brave and do this."

Blaine took a deep breath then nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

Kurt had already decided that it probably wouldn't be wise for Blaine to drive, so they took his car with Blaine giving directions. It was only a short drive and it seemed to be far too soon for Blaine's liking whose knuckles had turned white by the time they pulled up outside a double story brick house in the outskirts of Westerville. Kurt put the car into Park, took one look at him and immediately pulled him in for a hug. "You can do this."

"I know." But Blaine still held on for a few moments longer than usual before letting go and getting out of the car. As they walked up the front path, Blaine's hand was shaking in his, but he was still walking bravely up towards the front door. _He really does have courage._

Just before the door, Blaine stopped and turned to face Kurt. "Thank you for coming with me. I couldn't do this alone."

"I'm always here when you need me, okay? _Always_."

Something shifted in Blaine's eyes and then he was leaning in to kiss him, stunning Kurt for a second before he returned the kiss, eyes fluttering shut unconsciously. It only lasted a few seconds before Blaine was pulling away again, looking slightly awestruck and a lot braver. Without a word, he turned to knock on the door and Kurt understood. Blaine had needed that and they would discuss it later.

When the door opened to reveal the red-haired girl from the photo, Kurt felt Blaine's hand tighten around his. He squeezed back then leveled the girl with his best intimidating stare. "Anna, I presume."

The girl nodded but seemed unable to take her eyes from Blaine. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I came. This is Kurt. He's my boyfriend, he's coming in with me and if you don't approve of that then we'll be leaving right now."

Kurt blinked a couple of times in surprise. He had never heard Blaine sounding so cold before, but knew it was perfectly justified. Apparently it was something Anna wasn't used to either but she nodded, opening the door wider to let them in. They followed her through to the living room where Blaine and Kurt took the couch, Anna sitting opposite them. There was a moment of silence, then Anna finally spoke. "You've changed your hair."

Blaine just about smiled at that. "I didn't think the afro was suitable for Dalton Academy," he said, Kurt smirking in agreement. "You haven't changed much."

"I have. Just… not on the outside."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "I'd love some proof of that." Kurt squeezed his hand gently, hoping that Blaine could keep his cool - he knew his boyfriend would regret it later if he blew up. But with the current atmosphere in the room, something was about to give.

After a few seconds of tense silence, the explosion finally came, but it wasn't Blaine. "Blaine, I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking! Popularity meant so much to me back then and I didn't even consider what I was doing to you in the process, I just started believing what they wanted me to believe and I _know _it was wrong, I know that now. I never hated you."

"You certainly acted like it," Blaine said, his voice rising. "You wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't _look _at me, like being gay was a disease and you would catch it if we hung out. You made me feel _worthless_, Anna. And I never thought you'd be the person to do that."

Blaine's voice was choking up and Kurt wrapped an arm around him, letting him rest his head against Kurt's shoulder. "I'm interested in hearing your explanation too," he said coolly. "I've been through some crap at my old school, but at least the people who said they were my friends stayed that way. What possible reason could you give for turning your back on Blaine when he needed you the most?"

"I don't have one that would justify what I did. All I know is that over the summer, I didn't spend any time with the cheerleading girls. Instead we started looking at colleges and I realized I needed to get my GPA up if I wanted to get into a good one. So I quit the cheerleading team to focus on studying and… I got shunned too. I know I'll never truly understand what you went through, but at least now I know what it's like to have the popular kids think you're trash."

Kurt watched impassively as the girl began to cry, still not sure what to think of her. She seemed genuine _now_, but that couldn't possibly make up for what she had done. But Kurt knew that Blaine was an incredibly forgiving person, so the ball was in his court. Kurt was just here to protect him if necessary.

Blaine still hadn't said anything, but Anna continued. "I tried not to let myself think about you after you left. I just told myself that you were somewhere better, you had new friends, you wouldn't even remember me. But I always felt like there was something missing, and it was our friendship."

"So why wait until now to contact me?" Blaine finally said, his voice quiet and measured.

Anna hung her head, as Kurt thought she should. "Because I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me. But after awhile I realized that you _shouldn't _forgive me, but I owe you an apology anyway. And I truly am so sorry, Blaine. I can tell you right now that I have no problem with you being gay and bringing your boyfriend." She directed her next sentence at Kurt. "You must hate me."

"I don't particularly like you, no," Kurt agreed. "But that is to be expected. You hurt someone I care about a lot and he's still hurt by it years later. But it's up to Blaine what happens next and I'll support him completely."

Kurt felt Blaine sag slightly in relief before straightening up to look at Anna properly. "I can't forgive you. Not yet. All I can do is say that if you want to be a part of my life again, you'll have to prove it."

Kurt was expecting the girl to make some kind of promise or perhaps start crying. But instead Anna jumped to her feet and darted up the stairs, leaving Blaine and Kurt looking confused. "Was that too harsh?" Blaine whispered.

"Not at all, you could have been a lot meaner."

They stopped their hushed conversation as the girl reappeared, carrying her own box. Blaine raised an eyebrow as she sat back down. "What's in there?"

In answer, Anna raised the lid and pulled out a little stuffed bird. Kurt frowned and turned to Blaine to ask what the significance was, only to find his boyfriend on the verge of breaking down again. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and turned to glare at Anna. "What the hell did you do?"

"I can't believe you kept it." Kurt glanced down at Blaine who was inexplicably smiling. "I thought I'd never see it again… do you have the other one?" Anna pulled out another bird and handed it over to Blaine who turned it over in his hands as if he wasn't sure it was real.

"Not to interrupt, but what's the significance."

Blaine pulled away to sit up properly, turning to face Kurt. "We made these in seventh grade sewing class and swapped them. This is the one Anna made me… which I returned to her after she stopped calling me her friend."

"No matter what else was going on, I couldn't bring myself to throw it out." Anna was holding the other bird which looked more worn than Blaine's. "I always knew what I did was wrong, I just never let myself think about it. And I'm not expecting this to make you forgive me at all, I just… I wanted you to have it back. If you want it."

"I do." Blaine stared at the bird for a few seconds, then nodded. "We'll work on it, okay? But I have a lot to think about." He shot a look at Kurt who understood immediately, standing and pulling his keys out of his pocket. "I'll… I'll call you. Later."

Anna nodded, also standing to show them out. There was a brief awkward moment at the door where nobody knew what to say or do but the two finally swapped a hesitant goodbye before the door was closed. The second Anna was safely inside, Blaine was in Kurt's arms. "You were so brave," Kurt whispered. "I couldn't have done that and stayed as calm as you."

"And I couldn't have done it without you." Blaine pulled back and Kurt could see the worried look on his face. "And about earlier -"

Kurt cut him off by kissing him again softly. "I understand," he murmured when they broke apart. "It's what you needed to make you feel better. And believe me, I was _more_ than happy to give it."

Blaine raised his eyebrows. "You know, I'm still feeling kind of down. Can you make me feel better when we get back to Dalton."

Kurt couldn't hide his smirk. "Oh, I think I can arrange that. Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>I totally could have written something better with more time. But… oh well. No point dwelling.<strong>

**Pass?**


	12. Twelve

**So I had my orientation for my new job which was a lot of listening and filling in paperwork. It was actually more fun than I thought it would be and I feel a lot more confident about starting my job tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes! **

**Because I was out all day, **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**was lovely and understanding enough to give me this one at 8pm last night instead of the usual 10pm so I could knock it over and not have to worry about it during the day.**

**By the way, I went a bit into the meaning of tulips in this chapter. If you don't understand the reference in the second-last line, I encourage you to go and look up the meanings :)**

**Can't believe we only have two more days to go!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 12: A bow tie, A tulip, A napkin and frustration.<strong>_

It was that freaking bow tie.

Kurt was talking, something about the New Directions girls and their respective boyfriends, but Blaine couldn't bring himself to focus. Of course he _wanted _to listen to what Kurt was saying, but he couldn't concentrate. Not with that _damn bow tie_ sitting there, mocking him.

Blaine sighed inwardly, nodding along to what Kurt was saying and thinking about how he had gotten himself into this mess.

It had all started last week, when he and Kurt had managed to have the biggest fight that Dalton had ever seen. The boys laughingly referred to it as a lovers spat, that was until Kurt had _snapped _at them that he wasn't dating Blaine. Which of course had put Blaine in a worse mood and they had started snapping at each other again until Wes intervened. Apparently Warbler practice wasn't the place for domestics.

Looking back on it, Blaine knew it was stupid. If Kurt needed to skip a coffee date-but-not-date here and there so he could see his McKinley friends, that was fine. Blaine could understand that. But when it had gotten to the point where Kurt had blown him off three times in a row, Blaine felt almost obligated to say something about it, and that was where everything had just gone to hell.

A simple question - _"So, what do they have that I don't?" _had escalated into the screaming match that half of the Dalton boarders had witnessed. Kurt had accused him of being overprotective, smothering, defensive and belligerent - Blaine still didn't know how the last one had even come up. But the tension of everything that had been happening in Blaine's life lately had all come to a head and he found himself yelling back, telling Kurt that the world wasn't all about _him_ and other people were important too. The word diva might have slipped in there once or twice as well.

Needless to say, Kurt wasn't impressed.

After Blaine had cooled off from his frustration - with a bit of assistance from David who had pulled him down to the gym and set him in front of a punching bag - he realized that the whole fight had just been stupid. But he also knew what Kurt's pride was like and that he would have to do a lot of groveling to get to the point where Kurt would begin to think about forgiving Blaine, let alone admitting he was in the wrong too. So Blaine began to plan.

It started out simple - get Kurt alone so he had to listen to what Blaine was saying, apologize profusely and promise to do whatever it took to make things right. But then Blaine found himself thinking of places where he could get Kurt alone… like dinner for two at the new restaurant that had opened up in Westerville last week which his parents had enough connections to to be able to get them a reservation. And after that phone call had been made, there was no going back.

One awkward phone call to Burt later - after listening to the lecture about hurting his son in silence then explaining why he was calling - and Kurt was told not to go back to Lima for the weekend, something that just put him in a worse mood. Clearly he had been looking forward to getting away from Blaine for the weekend, but Blaine couldn't bring himself to be hurt, not when Jeff told him that Kurt had been caught listening to _All By Myself _the previous night and eating ice cream. Pushing the thought out of his head that it was more of a breakup action than a response to a friendship fight, Blaine had soldiered on ahead.

Friday afternoon and Jeff lured Kurt out of the room for ten minutes, allowing Blaine to slip in and place a tulip - pink, for affection and caring - on Kurt's bed with a note underneath: _6:30 in the foyer. Dress nicely._

Ten minutes later and standing in front of his own wardrobe, Blaine's phone had buzzed.

**From Jeff: **_He's going crazy right now, something about three hours not being long enough to get dressed up. But he's thrilled. Good job._

Blaine had simply smiled and continued trying to pick something that Kurt wouldn't disown him for wearing in public.

6:20 had brought a nervous Blaine pacing around the foyer, tugging nervously at the sleeves of his dinner jacket and already second guessing his decision. _What if he looks at me and turns around and goes straight back upstairs? What if he thinks I have an ulterior motive?_

But when Kurt had descended the stairs, smiling knowingly, Blaine realized that of course he had known from the minute he got the note, and he had come anyway. Stepping forward, Blaine held out the second tulip he had concealed behind his back and watched Kurt's eyes light up as he reached the bottom and took it. "I'd like to start by clearing the air," Blaine said softly. "I'm sorry for acting like an idiot."

He had expected Kurt to draw it out, to consider accepting his apology and making the night painful for Blaine while having a great time himself. Instead, Kurt touched a hand to his arm gently. "I'm sorry too. I think we were both just a little stressed. Friends?"

"Of course." Blaine held out an arm and a smiling Kurt looped his through it. "Shall we?"

Paying Cameron to chauffeur for them had been the second best fifty dollars Blaine had spent - the best fifty had been to make sure Cameron didn't say a word the entire time he was driving them. At any rate, the hundred dollars all up had certainly been money well invested because it meant he and Kurt had the chance to talk the whole way to the restaurant, keeping Kurt sufficiently distracted until they had gotten there. And as soon as Kurt had realized where they were, he squealed in delight and threw his arms around Blaine. "How did you _do _this?"

"My parents have contacts." Blaine had refused to say any more about it, leading Kurt into the restaurant on his arm proudly. They got a couple of strange looks, but considering the amount of money his parents had forked out for them to eat there, the establishment couldn't afford to offend them. They had been seated, orders had been taken and Kurt had immediately begun to talk as per usual.

And right there was when Blaine had found his downfall. He hadn't had a chance to take in Kurt's outfit any earlier - his sheer relief at Kurt actually coming down the stairs had overridden his thought process and it had been too dark in the car. Kurt was, of course, dressed to perfection with a dress jacket similar to Blaine's but with more buttons on it. But instead of the classic tie that Blaine was sporting, he had on a bow tie. And it was driving Blaine _insane._

Oh, it wasn't that Blaine had an issue with bow ties. He had always been indifferent to them before now to be perfectly honest; they hadn't bothered him but they hadn't really stood out. But now that Kurt had one looped around his neck, a dark blue piece of fabric that _really _shouldn't have been doing the things it did to Blaine, but it was.

Because while Kurt was talking about completely innocent things like Rachel and Quinn's last fight, Blaine was thinking about how much he'd like to grab that bow tie and pull Kurt across the table and…

"Blaine?"

_Thank goodness. _"Sorry, I zoned out a little there. Not that Rachel Berry isn't _fascinating_." Blaine injected just the right amount of droll humor into the sentence that Kurt knew it wasn't him that was boring Blaine. "But let's talk about something closer to home. What did you think of _I'm Yours _yesterday?"

"I think it was an interesting interpretation, I certainly never expected to hear it in an eight part harmony like that, let alone _sing _it in that manner… oh, thank you." Kurt moved his arms off the table as the servers brought around their food, pausing long enough for them to leave before continuing. "But I don't think it'll get us to New York."

"No, absolutely not. I'm considering bringing up the idea of _Misery _for the Council to think about, your thoughts on that?"

The rest of dinner continued in that manner - Blaine starting a conversation, Kurt continuing it and Blaine trying to focus and _not _look at the tie. They took a long time to eat considering how much they were talking, but finally Kurt rested his fork on the table and dabbed at his lips with a napkin. "This place is amazing, but I don't think I could afford to come here every night unfortunately."

"Neither. Do you want dessert?"

Kurt shook his head. "I'd probably burst. We're splitting the bill I presume?"

"Um… no." Blaine stood, offering a hand to Kurt who suddenly looked annoyed, and Blaine remembered that Kurt didn't necessarily like others picking up the tab unless there was a good reason. "My parents actually paid for this. They get discounts because of their connections."

It was enough for Kurt to take the offered hand but he still looked guilty. "I really don't feel comfortable with that."

"Hey, they were fine with it. Seriously, my parents throw around too much money to be healthy, we might as well reap the rewards, right?" Kurt smiled, conceding the argument to Blaine's surprise. Usually Kurt would fight his point to the death - that was the reason he had needed to take him out for this dinner after all. _What's going on? _"Kurt, is everything alright?"

Kurt suddenly looked shifty and Blaine knew something was up. Pushing the door open, he held it for Kurt to walk through before letting it swing shut. "Talk to me?"

Kurt sighed as they began to walk down the road, neither one appearing to be in any hurry to get back in the car - Cameron would just have to wait a bit longer. "I just feel bad, Blaine. I mean, I was the one who blew our whole argument out of proportion and you're the one making amends for it? That's not right. I should be the one taking you out for dinner and bringing you flowers, which I love by the way," he added, twirling the tulip in his fingers with a dexterity that Blaine was instantly jealous of. "It often feels like this friendship is… uneven. That I take more than I give."

Blaine's immediate reaction was to argue, to say that Kurt was wrong, but he held his tongue. "Why do you think that?" he asked instead.

"When we first met, I spent the whole time talking about what was going on in my life and we didn't even know each other properly. You came out to Lima to help me, you made sure I settled into Dalton properly and had a shot at the solo, even if I didn't get it." Kurt shrugged, the movement rolling through their linked arms. "And what have I given you?"

"I hope that wasn't rhetorical because I'm going to answer." Blaine gave Kurt a second, then began to speak. "For one, you've given me your friendship and that in itself is more than enough repayment. Before you came to Dalton, I just had Wes and David. Nothing against them but their idea of 'hanging out' is either setlists or playing _Call of Duty_, and you already know how I feel about video games." Both boys smiled as they remembered the last time Blaine had gotten particularly passionate about video games - the device had gone out the window and he had been banned from Wes and David's room for a week.

"Have they forgiven you for that?"

Blaine shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. My point being, you came along and you wanted to do the things _I _wanted to do. And not just the mutual things, I know full well that you didn't enjoy helping me out with that volunteer work last month but you came along because I told you how boring it was doing it alone." He gave himself a moment to remember Kurt's disgusted face at picking up trash before continuing. "And I can talk to you about _anything_, and you have no idea how good that is."

They had stopped walking somewhere along the line and now Kurt turned to Blaine, his eyes soft. "I think I do, actually," he said quietly and Blaine automatically reached for his other hand, their arms unlinking. "You do the same for me."

"So you know how it feels - but at the same time, you had your McKinley girls and you still do. I haven't had someone else I can talk to about a good looking guy _ever_. To be able to watch the _Harry Potter _movies with you and talk about how hot Tom Felton is when he gets older… it's unreal." Blaine took a step closer, testing the boundaries. "Kurt, you let me be myself and not have to worry about what others are going to think. Dalton is zero tolerance but it's not zero judgement and I've always been scared that people will build up a negative image of me if I act overly gay."

Kurt sighed but it was more sympathetic than anything. "Your friends love you just the way you are. But I see your point - I can't imagine any of the guys agreeing with you when you talk about Tom's abs in the way we do." He ducked his head, suddenly looking shy. "I - I didn't realize I was that important to you."

_Oh, Kurt. _"You are, believe me." Blaine moved closer again, taking it as a good sign when Kurt didn't back away. "You are single handedly the most important person in my life right now excluding family." Kurt's eyes widened and Blaine frowned. "You didn't think you were?"

"No, not at all," Kurt said, clearly before he could stop himself. "I mean, I know we're friends and we spend a lot of time together, but I was always worried that I was a bit of a burden on you, you know? So I started spending a lot more time with my McKinley friends instead of getting coffee with you -"

"Hold on," Blaine interrupted. "That was _intentional_?"

Kurt nodded. "I thought it would help our friendship, not cause a huge fight. And I felt so bad, Blaine. The reason I hadn't been talking to you was because I didn't know how to fix what I had done."

Blaine couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Hey, look at me," he said quietly as Kurt ducked his head again. When Kurt refused to look up, Blaine gently put his fingers under his chin and lifted his head to make eye contact. "We were both in the wrong, okay? And I will not have you believing for another _second _that you're a burden on me. You're _not_. You heard what I just said, you've changed my life, Kurt. I couldn't imagine not having you around, so don't go disappearing on me any time soon."

There was a moment of silence, Blaine staring into Kurt's eyes and watching the emotions shift. And then something passed between them, a current of understanding so strong that neither one could deny it, and Blaine _knew _why Kurt had been so worried, just like Kurt knew why Blaine cared so much about not losing him. That was all it took for the final distance to be closed between them and their lips to meet.

The kiss was perfect, of course, but Blaine couldn't help himself. Breaking away to Kurt's confusion, he smirked. "There's something I've been dying to do all night," he murmured.

"What's that?"

Raising his eyebrows, Blaine grabbed Kurt's tie and tugged him in, kissing him again. He felt Kurt emit a stunned noise against his lips before melting into the kiss again, wrapping his arms around Blaine's torso and running his hands down Blaine's spine in a way that sent a shiver down his back. "So," Kurt whispered, pulling away just far enough to talk, "bow ties do something for you?"

"Only when it's you." Apparently that was the right answer as they were kissing again, this time showing no signs of letting up. But finally Blaine knew it had to end - plus he had kind of forgotten how to breathe that last time - and reluctantly pulled away. "I hate to break this up -"

"Then don't."

Blaine stuck his tongue out. "But we need to get back before curfew, or before Cameron ruins my car."

Kurt sighed but happily took the arm extended to him. They walked back down the road in content silence for a few minutes, Blaine marveling over how quickly the night had turned from an apology dinner into so much more. Obviously there would be talks about feelings later and official terms like _dating _and _boyfriends _and _meet the family_ used, but for now they were perfectly content.

"So," Kurt said playfully, finally breaking the silence, "when we have our actual lovers spats, are you going to go to this much effort to make things up to me?"

Blaine pretended to deliberate for a second. "I don't know. Maybe it'll be your turn to wow me next time."

Kurt smirked. "Only if I can bring you red and cream coloured tulips."

And Blaine just had to kiss him for that.

* * *

><p><strong>This was finished before the time I usually get my prompts. I call that a success :)<strong>

**This might just be my favourite by the way. Just maybe.**

**Pass?**


	13. Thirteen

**Currently listening to _As If We Never Said Goodbye_. It's beyond beautiful, beyond words. I wish I could talk to Chris Colfer and tell him how much he has changed my life for the better, but I know it'll never happen. **

**Only one more prompt left after this! I can't believe how quickly this went and I'm going to miss it :( but it probably ended at a good time, considering I have seven shifts over the next two weeks with five of those being graveyards... **

**This was apparently the weirdest prompt so far according to CA, but ****I find now the weirder the prompt, the quicker something comes to mind =D and I totally used them in order this time!**

**P.S. A few people asked if I had actually used the napkin last chapter, the answer was yes, during the dinner scene when Kurt was finished eating. A short mention, but it was there :)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 13: A roommate, A chocolate bar, A hamster and embarrassment<strong>_

"I now call this Warblers meeting to order."

Wes rapped his gavel before shooting a glance to either side of him, Thad and David nodding. "First order of business..." David said, before kicking his seat back slightly and beginning to slide out of it.

"ROOMMATE SHEETS ARE UP!" the three yelled in tandem before sprinting out of the room.

There was a heartbeat of silence and then the rest of the room exploded into a frenzy. By the time Kurt had gotten his head around what the boys had actually said, the room was empty. "What the hell was that?"

"Yeah, a bit crazy, I know."

Kurt jumped and turned to see Blaine on the next couch over, still sitting there. Unlike the rest of the boys who had almost looked panicked, he was incredibly serene and in fact looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I thought you'd run out with the rest of them," he said, trying not to let his voice shake at the realization of being alone in the room with Blaine.

"There's no point. But now that they've gone crazy, we should head down and make sure they're not killing each other." Blaine stood and held out a hand to Kurt. "Care to join me?"

Kurt grasped the offered hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "What's the deal with roommate sheets anyway? I know we swap out every semester... are they the lists of who we're rooming with?" Kurt did his best to not immediately quicken his pace at that - the idea that he could possibly be rooming with Blaine for a whole semester hadn't quite left his mind since he found out about the swap and he was eager to find out who he was with. "Why weren't you in a hurry?"

"Because those aren't the sheets that are up."

Blaine still hadn't let go of his hand, which wasn't uncommon. They often held hands simply because of how natural it was - but that wasn't to say it didn't drive Kurt _crazy_ every single time. His thoughts about Blaine's hand fitting so perfectly in his derailed at that point though as he took in what Blaine had said. "They're not?"

Blaine shook his head. "They're sign up sheets. We choose our roommates."

_What?_

"Dalton lets you choose?"

"Yeah." The sound of fighting could be heard from down the hall growing progressively louder and Blaine rolled his eyes. "This happens every semester, they all want to room with the same person and obviously they all can't."

Kurt frowned. "Who do they all want?" he asked, just as they turned the corner to where the sheets were posted to see absolute pandemonium with the Warblers in the thick of it.

"Oi! You got Blaine last year, I've never roomed with him!"

"I just had to put up with a semester of _Cameron_, I think I deserve Blaine!"

"You all know Blaine likes rooming with me the best!"

Kurt stared open mouthed at the chaos. Beside him, Blaine let out a soft chuckle. "Me," he said unnecessarily.

Somehow over all the noise, most of the boys heard Blaine's comment. "Blaine, thank goodness." Nick rushed over and began tugging at his arm. "Tell these idiots - except Jeff of course - that you want to room with me."

"Why don't you want to room with Jeff?" Kurt asked curiously.

Nick suddenly looked sheepish and Blaine snorted, successfully pulling his arm from Nick's grasp. "Nick and Jeff were caught being inappropriate in their room the first time they shared a dorm as a couple. So they're not allowed to room together."

"It wasn't inappropriate!" Nick crossed his arms in a huff. "Honestly, you make out shirtless _once_ and everybody starts making assumptions. But that's not the point. Blaine, you know you want to room with me."

"Fat chance!" Cameron hollered over the group. "Blaine's mine!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow and Blaine smirked. "I didn't think you swung that way, Cameron." The rest of the group grew quiet, all turning to Blaine who sighed. "Look, we have three days to submit. I'll make up my mind later. Wes, do we have practice or not? Because I'd really like to get my Literature assignment started tonight."

"No, we're fine. Go ahead." As Blaine left, unfortunately letting go of Kurt's hand in the process, everybody turned to face Wes in stunned silence. Wes, who had just _cancelled Warbler practice_. "What? I want Blaine as my roommate too! He's freaking perfect!"

"What's wrong with everybody else?" Kurt asked hesitantly. Of course he knew that _Blaine _was the perfect roommate - and the perfect everything in his mind - but clearly there had to be some reason that the rest of the Warblers were going insane to not only end up with him but _not _end up with someone else.

The boys looked at each other for a few seconds, clearly waiting for someone to begin. "Well," Nick finally spoke up. "I roomed with Cameron two semesters ago and he sounds like a chainsaw gearing up in the middle of the night. Painful stuff."

"You can't talk!" Cameron retorted. "You and Jeff spend _hours _on the phone at night because you can't be inappropriate in the same room. And I should know, I had Jeff last semester so I got it for a _whole year_. Honestly, you two live in the same _building_ and you see each other the second you wake up anyway, what can't wait a few hours?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "You clearly don't understand what it's like to be in love. And while we're talking about annoying roommates who don't understand, how about Wes not understanding that the rules really _aren't _the most important thing around, and I am allowed to turn on the bathroom light at two in the morning without violating the 'no lights after 11pm' policy?"

"At least I don't blatantly break the rules… or let my girlfriend do it for me every _single _time she comes over and wants to kick me out of the room." Wes shot a glare at David who raised his hands in defense. "And don't pull the line that you don't see her often, she's got you _whipped._"

The hallway immediately broke into argument again, many of the other less redeemable qualities of each Warbler being brought to light. Staring around at all of them, Kurt immediately made a decision - if he was stuck with anybody except Blaine, he'd sleep in the hallway. _There's no way I can handle living with one of these idiots for six months. No way in hell._

"Hey."

Kurt turned to see Jeff standing beside him. "Just thought you'd like a heads up on how it's going to go from here. These guys will all bribe the hell out of Blaine, trying to get him to room with them. He'll pick someone, the others will sulk, then life will go on."

"Thanks.. but why are you telling me?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Because if you want to room with Blaine - and I know you do, don't even try to deny it - then you'll need to bring something good. Something nobody else can offer him."

Kurt wanted to retort, but he knew Jeff was right. As the blonde boy disappeared back into the crowd to write down his own roommate choice, Kurt's mind was a whir. _What can I offer Blaine to get him to be my roommate?_

Little did he know, everybody else was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

><p>"Nick? What are you doing in my room? And… what the <em>hell<em>?"

Nick smirked from his position on Trent's bed as Blaine entered the room, stopping short as he took in the pile of chocolate sitting on his bed. "Oh, that? That's just a sign of what's to come." He stood, stretching languidly and watching Blaine eye up the chocolate bars with a hint of apprehension. "They're not poisoned or anything, you know? You're more than welcome to eat one… or more. They're yours."

"What's the catch?" Blaine asked warily, clearing a spot on the bed to sit down. "Oh, stupid question, of course I know the catch. You want to be my roommate."

"Well… yes, of course I do. But I'm not going to take the chocolate away if you say no."

Blaine actually looked surprised at that. "You're not?"

"Of course I'm not!" Nick pretended to look horrified. "What kind of friend would I be if I did that?"

"The kind that wants me as a roommate of course." Blaine sighed, picking up one of the chocolate bars and examining it. "Look, I appreciate it but this shouldn't be a big decision. The more you guys blow it up, the harder it'll be for me and the worse I'm going to feel when I have to tell most of you that I won't be your roommate. Can you just leave me to it until I've made up my mind?"

And Nick almost found himself feeling guilty at that point. Almost. "Sure thing, Blaine. Enjoy the chocolate, and if you need anything just let me know. I'm here for you."

Blaine simply rolled his eyes and began to unwrap one of the chocolate bars. As Nick left, he suddenly realized how much Kurt was going to murder him when Blaine invariably called him in the throes of a sugar high - because of course Blaine would call Kurt instead of anybody else - and did something incredibly stupid. And Kurt wouldn't let himself be mad at _Blaine _because of how crazy he was about him, so of course he would take it out on the enabler. _Maybe steering clear of Kurt for the next few days would be a good thing as well._

* * *

><p>"Blaine, wait up!"<p>

Cameron actually saw Blaine sigh before both boys turned around, Kurt rolling his eyes. "What is it, Cameron?"

"So, you know how I went home yesterday instead of sticking around to watch all of the petty roommate fights?"

Blaine actually snorted at that. "Sure, of course that was your logic. But yes, you went home. What of it?"

Cameron slowly moved his hands from behind his back to reveal the cage he was holding. "My hamster had babies… I thought you might like one."

He wasn't sure what kind of response Blaine would give - worst case scenario in his mind was being called out on his ploy to get Blaine as a roommate and being told that there was no way Blaine would choose him now. What he didn't expect was for Kurt to jump back like the cage was on fire and Blaine to step in front of him protectively. "Cameron, get it away right now!"

"What?" Cameron looked down to make sure it was indeed a baby hamster in the cage - which it was. "What's the problem?"

He was answered a second later as Kurt began to sneeze violently, backing away further. Blaine was already digging through his bag for tissues as he snapped out a reply. "Kurt's allergic to most animals, which is why he's never been able to room with you, Andrew or Luke. The hamster is cute, yes, but I won't be able to keep it in my room without setting off Kurt any time he's in there."

As Blaine ushered a still-sneezing Kurt away, he seemed to remember something. "And you might want to up the ante a bit, Cameron. Wes has already offered me my choice of solos for the next five performances - I'm afraid a hamster doesn't compete."

Cameron sighed, lowering the cage. _Damn_.

* * *

><p>There was one day until Blaine had to submit his selection for a roommate, and he had absolutely no idea what he was going to do.<p>

Usually the decision was easy - get a list of the Warblers who wanted to be his roommate and go through via process of elimination until he found the most tolerable person to room with. But this year, every single Warbler had put their name down to room with Blaine… except one.

Kurt.

It would have been much easier for Blaine to deal with if it weren't for the fact that Kurt hadn't put _anybody's _name yet, and so Blaine had no idea what he was thinking or whether it even bothered him at all. Perhaps Kurt was fine with whoever he got as a roommate and couldn't be bothered to put in a submission. But Blaine didn't know how to proceed without knowing whether Kurt would want to room with him or not.

The issue was, Blaine _wanted _to room with Kurt. And that should have been the deciding factor - the last time he had actually wanted to room with someone as opposed to settling for them was four semesters ago - but Blaine knew why he wanted to room with Kurt, and he wasn't without an ulterior motive. He had told himself over and over again that romantic feelings for someone should not be a deciding factor in a roommate (because if those feelings changed, things could get messy), but he couldn't help himself.

Blaine Anderson had fallen for Kurt Hummel, hard. And he wanted to spend as much time with him as humanly possible, but he did _not _want to pressure Kurt or even make it obvious that he liked the boy. After all, Kurt was _amazing_ and Blaine was just… Blaine. _What would he see in me?_

Sighing, Blaine began to cross names of the Warbler list. Cameron was out, of course, as were the other Warblers with pets. After waking up to a gavel in the head last semester, Wes was definitely not a viable option, and his past semester with Trent had been decent enough but it was definitely time for a change. Nick and Jeff were both still possible candidates and Blaine deliberated over crossing out either name, his pen hovering.

"Blaine?"

Blaine stiffened as he heard the voice from his doorway. _Damn_. _What's Kurt doing here?_

Of course there was no issue with spending time with Kurt, not at all. But there was a definite issue when Blaine was wearing old jeans, his Dalton hoodie, ungelled hair and glasses instead of his usual contacts. _Seriously, Blaine, could you look any more homeless?_

Running a hand through his hair self-consciously, Blaine looked up. "Hey, Kurt," he said, unable to keep the tiredness out of his voice. It _was _10 at night after all… and come to think of it, Trent should have been back an hour ago. But Blaine wasn't going to worry about that now, not when Kurt was in the doorway, his eyes slightly wide. "What can I do for you?"

After a moment, Kurt seemed to shake himself out of whatever stupor he had entered - probably mentally grading Blaine's appearance, he realized mournfully - and smiled. "I just wanted to talk to you about something, is that alright?"

"Of course." Blaine stood and gestured for Kurt to join him on his bed. "What's up? Is something wrong?"

Kurt shook his head immediately. "No, not at all. I just… I was thinking about this whole roommate thing. Submissions are meant to be in tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah." Blaine grimaced. "Don't remind me, that's what I was working on before. It's hell."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need me to leave?"

Kurt moved as if he was standing but Blaine put a hand on his shoulder. "No, I'm glad you're here. It gives me a welcome break from working out who will be hurt the least if I don't let them room with me. But we're not talking about me. What's your roommate issue?"

"I don't really have one," Kurt said, his words coming out measured and as if he was holding something back. "I mean, if I end up rooming with Nicholas again, that's fine. I just… I want to room with someone, but I don't know if they want to room with me, and I don't know what I can offer them as a roommate."

Blaine frowned. "Kurt, you can offer a _lot_ as a roommate. But, ah, who do you want to room with?"

Kurt looked at him thoughtfully and Blaine swallowed, trying to work out the meaning behind the look. His eyes almost looked _heated_, like there was an emotion there he was trying to hold back. "Who else? You." Blaine tried to swallow again, his mouth running dry. _Don't read too much in to it… _"I know there's one thing I can offer you that others might not be able to, my question is whether you'd appreciate it."

"You know I appreciate everything you do," Blaine said quietly, trying to keep the wounded tone out of his voice and trying to think of a time he had made Kurt feel like he couldn't come to him or be his friend or ask to _room _with him or something.

Kurt laughed lightly. "Good."

And the next thing Blaine knew, Kurt was kissing him. After the initial shock, Blaine tried to reciprocate but his mind was still going crazy, trying to work out what this all _meant_ and did Kurt _like _him or was he just saying he could offer… _what?_

Kurt suddenly pulled away, raising one hand to cover his mouth. Embarrassment flooded into his eyes and he was moving away towards the door before Blaine could comprehend what was going on. "I - I'm so sorry, I can't _believe _I just did that… I'm - I'll just -"

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, his mind _finally _catching up, but too late. Pushing open the door, Kurt disappeared down the hall.

Of course there was no point in chasing Kurt - by now he would have locked his door and would probably already be on the phone to Mercedes talking about how embarrassed he was with what he had just done. If Blaine could, he would march down there and make it _perfectly _clear to Kurt just what he thought of what had just happened, but Kurt would be avoiding him for the next few days… or possibly ever.

But there was one way that Blaine could make sure Kurt knew how he felt.

* * *

><p>The good thing about Dalton being an all-boys school was that boys invariably liked to sleep in. Which meant at 7am on a Saturday morning, if Kurt Hummel chose to wander the halls with his hair less than perfect and looking like he had been crying all night - which he might have been - then the chances of running in to someone were slim to none. Especially not Blaine who never rose before 8 on a weekend.<p>

Sighing at the thought of what he had done the previous night, Kurt continued down the hall to the sign up sheet, pen in hand. His decision to sign up to be Jeff's roommate was simple - Blaine wouldn't want him and Jeff couldn't room with Nick. Besides, he had always gotten along best with the blonde Warbler and sharing a room with him shouldn't be too bad.

Ignoring the voice that told him he had always gotten along best with _Blaine_, Kurt continued down the hall. _You burned that bridge last night when you acted on your feelings without considering his. Suck it up and deal with it._

Kurt knew that eventually he would have to talk to Blaine, but he planned to drag that eventuality out for as long as possible. It would be so much easier if Blaine was one of those boys who would let him just gloss it over, but no. Blaine would want to _talk _about it and find out the extent of Kurt's feelings and then let him down all over again and Kurt just didn't _want _that. He still wanted to be Blaine's friend, but it would be a lot better if he could just forget everything had happened.

As the notice board came into sight, Kurt sighed again and stepped forward to write Jeff's name next to his before pausing. _What…?_

The names were alphabetical, so of course Blaine Anderson was right at the top, catching the eye of everybody the moment they saw it. And up until yesterday - in fact, right before Kurt had gone to visit him - the spot next to his name had been blank. But now there was a name written there with perfect precision, undeniably in Blaine's handwriting.

_**Kurt Hummel.**_

Without thinking, Kurt reached out his free hand to touch to the words as if to make sure they weren't just a figment of his imagination, that he wasn't still lying in bed and had actually fallen asleep of exhaustion after crying all night.

"It's real," came a voice from behind him.

Kurt whirled around to see Blaine leaning against the doorframe, smiling at him. His own hair was still a mess as it had been last night - the look that had almost driven Kurt crazy then and there before he could control himself - and he looked exhausted, clearly not used to being up so early. But his happiness was genuine and Kurt could practically feel it.

"How… why? I thought -"

Blaine stepped forward, silencing Kurt instantly. "You left too quickly last night," he murmured softly, even though nobody else was around. "I didn't get to show you what I could offer _you _as my roommate."

There was a moment of pure silence, then they were kissing again, arms wrapping around each other on instinct. And this time Blaine was not only responding but _instigating_ and it was better than anything Kurt could ever have hoped for, especially not after the previous night.

But as amazing as it was, Kurt couldn't resist. Pulling away just far enough, he whispered, "So, did I beat the other offers?"

"I don't know. Jeff did offer to leave Nick and be my lover if necessary - I'm kidding!" Blaine added hastily as Kurt jerked away, staring at him in surprise. "I'm totally kidding, I promise. And if he was serious, I would say no because you're the only one I want anyway… crap. Was that too forward?"

"If you're asking me to be your boyfriend and roommate, then absolutely not too forward."

Luckily, Blaine caught on quickly. "Kurt Hummel, will you do me the honor of being my boyfriend and roommate?"

In response, Kurt turned back to the sign up sheet and pulled out his pen, tracing a line down the sheet until he found his name. **Blaine Anderson**, he scrawled next to it, the **n** going a bit long in surprise as Blaine's arms wrapped around him from behind. "That's a yes to roommate. Boyfriend?"

Kurt turned in his arms and kissed him, clearly catching Blaine off guard again. "That answer your question?"

"Perfectly." And then Blaine frowned. "Except we'll have to keep it out of staff's attention, otherwise they'll separate us."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Well, if that happens, I guess we'll just have to break up. After all, your roommate choice seems to be the most important thing in your life right now, I'd hate to get in the way of that."

Blaine's arms went slack, allowing Kurt to dart away, skipping down the hall. After a few seconds he heard a growl, then; "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, get back here!"

All Kurt could do was laugh as Blaine began to chase him down the hall. _Yes, I can see the perks of this roommate thing._

* * *

><p><strong>Pass?<strong>

**(one more to go!)**


	14. Fourteen

**Well… here we are. **

**So, what do I say? First, thank you so much to **_**Chasing Aspirations **_**for running this prompt fic for me, it's been a wonderful two weeks of writing and having the opportunity to write some totally different stories that have floated out as a result of the words given to me. I do hope I receive my title (even if it only exists in this small corner of the fandom world!)**

**Thanks to everybody for reading and reviewing as usual. Your feedback always makes my writing a lot more enjoyable and rewarding :)**

**If this is the first story you've read of mine and you'd like to see another prompt based fic, go and check out **_**Kiss **_**on my page. It is up to Chapter 122, yes, but don't let that deter you! Go and flick through and see what you think :) and while you're there, have a look my other stories of course, which aren't prompt stories but oneshots and a few chapter stories. **

**Everybody was expecting great things for this one as it was the final one, which of course put the pressure on. Plus some other personal issues were messing with my brain, but I hope it lives up to expectations. Oh, and if you want the real effect, don't read it until Christmas, okay? ;)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 14: A dictionary, An empty wallet, Some kind of plant and festivity.<strong>_

Kurt Hummel would quite happily admit to anybody who asked that he was a very materialistic person. In fact, it was almost a point of pride for him, as it made gift giving very easy. Just buy him a scarf or a gift card to a moderately well priced store and he was happy - as were Mercedes, Tina, Quinn and Rachel who always completed their yearly present buying traditions of adding to each other's fashion collection and trying to educate Rachel on how to dress in the coming year. It never worked.

As a result, Christmas shopping had never been an issue for Kurt. His father was always content with some kind of sport logo-ed outfit and, now that Carole and Finn were a part of the family, he could just buy two and give one to Finn. Carole would join the list of girls he had presents to buy for, and that was that. Simple.

Of course Kurt had forgotten one very important thing which came in the form of Blaine Anderson sitting down across from him at breakfast one morning and saying without preamble, "So, what am I getting you for Christmas this year?"

After he had finished choking on his coffee with Blaine staring at him in concern, Kurt managed to stammer out a less than coherent reply. "You… you want to buy me a Christmas present?"

"Well, that is the point of the commercial side of the holiday, to buy presents for the people you care about." Blaine inexplicably flushed at that. "Your friends," he added hastily. "Which you are one of. Of course. So what would you like?"

"I - uh." Kurt suddenly found his usual reply of _something fashionable and expensive_ wiped from his brain. "I… don't know."

Blaine frowned at his answer but it was quickly replaced with a devious smile. "Well, I guess you'll be stuck with whatever I get you." He drained his own coffee, which Kurt hadn't even seen him pour. "Done your Christmas shopping yet?"

"I was planning to go on Saturday. I'd invite you but…"

Blaine laughed. "Yeah, not a good idea. I'll probably go on Saturday too but we'll take care not to run into each other." Glancing at his watch, Blaine suddenly stood. "I'd better get going, I said I'd run through some irregular verbs with Jeff before class."

As Blaine turned to leave, Kurt's brain finally gave him something to work with. "Wait," he called after him. "What do you want?"

"Surprise me!" Blaine called back cheerfully before disappearing out of the room. Kurt stared after him for a minute before groaning and banging his head on the table. He _hated _when people told him to surprise them - granted, he hadn't given Blaine much to work with either but somehow that phrase put more pressure on than any other. To surprise someone meant to give them something unexpected, something that nobody else would give… or at least it did in Kurt's mind. And he knew there was no way he would be able to add Blaine to the clothing list considering the attire he usually wore.

Of course Kurt knew full well that Blaine would happily accept anything he was given. To him, it was more about the sentiment behind it, not about the actual present itself. And that should have made things _easier_, but now Kurt felt a whole new level of pressure added - what kind of feelings should be communicated by the gift given? Should he tell Blaine how great of a friend he was… or how much Kurt wanted to be _more _than just friends?

Pushing the thought out of his mind, Kurt finished his coffee and made his way to class. He had plenty of time until Saturday after all, and a few days after that until Christmas Day itself. Presumably they would swap presents on Christmas Eve before going to their respective homes for the holiday, so Kurt still had time.

* * *

><p>Saturday dawned, and Kurt was up bright and early to beat the crowds. He was a seasoned shopper and knew what the stores would be like when everybody else arrived around 10am. At 7:30, he was one of the first ones there and knew that the sales attendants, while tired, would be completely at his disposal. Christmas shopping for his family had been done earlier, so it was just his friends he had to worry about.<p>

By 9:30, Kurt had already found presents for Quinn, Mercedes and Tina and was puzzling over whether buying Rachel a dress that she could pair with white tights would be _encouraging _her to do it or not. He finally decided to chance it - someone could always lecture her as they constantly did on her breaches of fashion.

_Now, for Blaine_. Kurt dug out his wallet again to check how much cash he had, fairly sure he had used up all of the money on his card for the other presents. Pulling it open, he blinked at the contents for a few seconds before cursing under his breath. It was empty. He vaguely remembered using up the last of his cash on the makeup set for Quinn and groaned. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Of course Kurt had an emergency credit card, but somehow he didn't think his father would consider buying Blaine a Christmas present to be an emergency. And Kurt wasn't due a payment from the shop until after Christmas, so he had to face the fact that, short of returning one of the girls presents, he wouldn't be able to buy Blaine something this year. With a sinking heart, Kurt left the mall, trying to work out what to do now. His only option was to go back to Dalton and work something out. _Maybe Finn will lend me some money… if he hasn't blown it all already…_

The trip back to Dalton was quick and Kurt was still mostly out of ideas, but his thought train derailed as he saw Wes and David lugging a large tree up the stairs of the foyer. "Kurt!" David called out as he caught sight of him. "Help us out?"

Kurt glance down at his outfit, deliberating. "I suppose," he said reluctantly, shrugging off his jacket and scarf and dropping the presents before joining David at the trunk of the pine tree. Together they managed to get the tree up the stairs and along the hall to the choir room, where Kurt was amazed to see decorations already in place. Clearly the boys had been working hard. The three hoisted the tree into the waiting stand and Kurt immediately brushed the pines off his shirt, making sure there was no sap on his clothing. "You guys really get into the festive spirit, don't you?"

"We love Christmas around here," Wes said cheerfully, dragging a box of Christmas tree decorations out from under the council desk. "Unfortunately we haven't been signed as a group to perform anywhere, but I think about four Warblers have their individual performances to go to. You know Blaine does Kings Island every year, Jeff and his family do a Christmas concert out at their place which Andrew also performs in, and David got himself a gig as well."

Kurt turned in surprise to the dark-skinned boy. "That's fantastic, congratulations!"

"Thanks. It's not big but it should be fun." David frowned, nodding towards the door. "Didn't you leave all your stuff downstairs?"

With that, Kurt was reminded of the issue at hand. "See you guys later," he said quickly before heading back down to pick up his packages as his mind began to whir over the issue at hand again. _And even if I did have the money, I still have no idea what to buy for him, _Kurt realized, chucking the bags on his bed and collapsing into his desk chair. His original intention had been to see if Finn was online but quickly realized that his literature homework was still half-finished and due on Monday. And since it wasn't exactly his best subject, Kurt knew it was priority. _Honestly, sometimes I wonder whether I'm more fluent in French than in my native language._

Sighing, he grabbed his dictionary and began to flick through. "What the hell is a gimlet anyway?" he muttered. "Ghoul… gibe… giddy… gift… gi- hold on a second." Tracing his finger back up the page, Kurt found the entry he had skimmed over.

**Gift** _n. _

**1 **a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present

**2 **a very easy task or unmissable opportunity

**3 **a natural ability or talent

The idea formed so quickly that Kurt was amazed he hadn't thought of it before. Though it wasn't something he could do for anybody _but _Blaine - everybody else would see it as an egoistic present, but Kurt already knew that Blaine would see it as it was. And it was the perfect combination of all three definitions that seemed to sum up the idea of a gift… so why not?

Grabbing his phone, Kurt prepared himself before calling the number he usually dreaded. "Rachel? It's Kurt. I… I need your help."

* * *

><p>The Warbler party was in full swing and Kurt had to admit he was having more fun than he thought. Once the group got out of meeting mode and into the festive spirit, they were actually a lot of fun and the lack of alcohol meant Kurt didn't have to worry about watching his drinks. He could just relax, hang out with his friends and have a great time before heading back to Lima the next morning. Not that it was long since he had last been in Lima, considering he had spent every afternoon there leading up to Christmas Eve, right up until yesterday when Rachel deemed the present finished and handed it over.<p>

Speaking of the present… Kurt idly fingered at the strap of his bag before seeking out Blaine. He caught a glimpse of the boy talking with Wes, David and a few others, clearly completely at ease and Kurt couldn't help but smile. _He really is quite beautiful._

Blaine glanced up and caught his eye just as the rest of the group exploded in laughter, joining in himself even as he looked at Kurt curiously. Offering him another smile, Kurt nudged his head in the direction of the door and raised an eyebrow. Blaine held up a finger and nodded, turning to say something to the others. Kurt stood and made his way out of the room, leaning against the wall and forcing himself to take deep breaths. He had been so _sure _of his present choice before, but now that he was about to give it to Blaine, it seemed so _vain_ and so… obvious. _Why did I choose this?_

The sound of Blaine's laughter was moving closer and then Blaine appeared in the doorway, grinning broadly. "You wanted me?"

Kurt couldn't help but smile despite his nerves - that grin was _contagious_. "I have your present."

"Oh, of course! Give me a second." Blaine darted back into the room, returning a few seconds later with his bag. "Here, or do you want to go somewhere else?" The uproarious sound of laughter echoing out of the room answered the question for both of them. "Student room down the hall?"

Kurt nodded and the two made their way down to the unoccupied room. Someone had left the fire lit so Kurt didn't bother turning on the lights, trying not to smile when Blaine left them off too and joined him on the couch. There was a moment of silence, then Kurt figured it was now or never. "So, um, I had _no _ideawhat to get you," he began. Blaine chuckled, nodding in agreement and Kurt relaxed a little. "All I knew is that I wanted it to be something that wasn't… stereotypical. Something more important… because you mean a lot to me, Blaine."

Blaine's voice was softer when he replied. "You mean a lot to me too, Kurt."

Kurt smiled in response, unconsciously shifting a little closer to Blaine as he reached for his bag. "I have to warn you, Rachel helped with this." Blaine raised an eyebrow. "It's safe, I promise, and it won't blow up because you're the 'competition'." Kurt raised his fingers in air quotes and Blaine laughed again. "So she did a lot of the selection from what she said was the 'Best of Kurt' as well as some others and… um. Pleasedon'tthinkI'mvain."

Blaine frowned. "What?"

Kurt wasn't sure whether his confusion was over not hearing the words or not understanding. Instead of replying - because he knew he'd ramble for _days _if he did - he simply pulled the small case out of his bag and handed it to Blaine. "Here."

He couldn't watch as Blaine flipped the case over and began to read the titles on the back. Of course he knew them by heart - _Don't Cry For Me Argentina, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Defying Gravity, Rose's Turn, Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop, Gravity, Everybody Hurts, A Moment Like This _and _Here Comes The Sun_. Songs each chosen with a memory or a meaning and all covered by Kurt, recorded and edited at Rachel's house over the past five days.

"Kurt… is this what I think it is?"

Swallowing nervously, Kurt nodded. "If you think that's me, then yes." And at that, the previously suppressed rambling came on in full force. "I know, I know how it looks, but you always told me how much you loved my voice and you'd totally buy a CD if I made one -"

"And you'd buy mine," Blaine murmured softly.

Kurt nodded. "Of course." He barely noticed the interruption or the way Blaine began to dig around in his own bag, too absorbed in his own words. "And there was that time you were really stressed and I started singing _Everybody Hurts_," he gestured to the name on the list, "and you said it helped. I guess… I just wanted to give you something more personal, and something useful. I hope. Um. Yeah, so that's - what?"

A case had been dropped into his lap, almost identical to the one he had given to Blaine except with a blue cover instead of black. With shaking hands, he flipped it over. "_Teenage Dream, Hey Soul Sister, F-" _his voice faltered as he took in the third track. "_Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop, Stutter, Human, Don't You, To Have A Home, Not Alone…_ I don't recognize these last ones."

"I wrote them." Blaine's voice was barely above a whisper and Kurt felt unexpected tears prickle in the corners of his eyes. "It's the first time anybody will hear them too. I - I thought it was fitting that it was you."

Without a second of thought, Kurt dropped the case into his lap and threw his arms around Blaine who was hugging him back just as tightly. "I don't have the words, Blaine, I can't even…"

"I know," Blaine murmured in his ear before pulling away to look at him properly. Their faces were only inches away and usually Kurt was awkward about being so close to someone else's personal space but this was just _right_. "It's amazing how well we know each other to be able to do something like this and completely understand why."

And the look in Blaine's eyes was so penetrating that Kurt _knew _he had to know. "We do. And obviously we care for each other a lot." His change from _about _to _for _had slipped in without him noticing, but it was something else that was too right to change.

Blaine's voice dipped lower - clearly he had noticed. "We do," he agreed softly. "A _lot_."

Kurt couldn't say who had initiated it, perhaps it had been a joint move. At any rate, they were kissing, softly at first but building in passion and _need_ and Kurt realized that Blaine had wanted this for a long time too, and they had both waited far too long to do this and staying like this _forever _was almost a viable option at this point.

Almost, but not quite, and they were reluctantly breaking apart a few moments later. Kurt stared into Blaine's eyes and tried to find something to say, something to sum up how he was feeling right now, _something… _but there were no words. Blaine apparently understood perfectly as he was pulling Kurt closer - somewhere along the line his arms had found their way to Kurt's waist - and Kurt leaned into him, sighing happily, resting against Blaine's chest and staring into the fire. After a few seconds he leaned up to kiss Blaine again because, well, he _could_. Blaine mirrored his smile when Kurt pulled away to resume his previous position, before leaning in to whisper softly in his ear. "Merry Christmas, Kurt."

"Merry Christmas, Blaine."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you darlings! It's been a fun ride =D<strong>


End file.
